SEOUL, South Korea (Updated June 29, 11 a.m.) — It is remarkable how Seoul, the capital of South Korea, quickly emerged from the ruins of the Korean war in just 50 years to become an economically powerful and second largest metropolitan area in the world. What makes Seoul such an interesting true world city is that it has been able to keep its traditions alive despite the rapid socio-economic transformation.
Palaces, tasty food, world’s best airport, and ultra high-speed Internet connection are among the many reasons why this vibrant city is a top Asian destination. Nonetheless, these days, Seoul’s biggest tourism attraction is Korean pop or K-pop.
Since the breakout of “Hallyu” fever in the mid-1990s, the growth of Korean entertainment and culture has been felt across Asia and in other parts of the globe. When tourists visit Seoul, it is certain that eight out of 10 will include “celebrity or idol spotting” in their travel itinerary, comprised of going to places where popular Korean stars are usually seen hanging out.
Die-hard fans would go as far as stalking their idols by waiting for hours outside their agencies. Real-time updates in the most connected city in the world are every Hallyu star’s nightmare. No wonder why these idols are always photographed wearing facial masks whenever they are in public places. This, apart from the worsening air quality in Seoul during summer season, helped launched the “stylish mask” trend throughout South Korea.
The posh area of Apgujeong and Cheongdam-dong in Gangnam are solid bets for celebrity sighting. Most idols frequent these two areas since some of the biggest entertainment agencies like SM, JYP, CUBE, and FNC are headquartered there. But if you think that bumping into these celebs are as easy as walking into cafes, then think again.
With constant public scrutiny and pretty much every single entertainment news outlet is out there to get the latest scoop, most Korean celebrities have devised a way to avoid causing public melt down. How exactly if you ask?
In an interview with Philstar.com, two K-pop world insiders have revealed the harsh realities that every K-pop star has to go through in his or her path to glory.
Both sources requested anonymity as their revelations could destroy their careers. One of them debuted as an emcee, actor, and a model, who also runs a cult fashion label worn by K-pop heavyweights BTS, Henry, IKON, Winner, and Zico. The other source, meanwhile, is a K-pop trainee for one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment agencies.
According to these two very reliable sources, most Korean celebrities go to very small cafes that are usually managed by someone they personally know, or owned by another idol.
These cafes are hard to find as they like to keep a very low profile. Fortunately, Philstar.com got an exclusive tour inside one of the cafes that has been recently a favorite hotspot of Hallyu stars, models, and all other purveyors of downtown cool.
The so-called "Cafe of the Stars" where Hallyu stars go to escape from it all. Philstar.com/Seph Asong
An apparent contrast to all the posh cafes in the area, this one is a hole-in-the-wall with a very small extended outdoor space in case people want to stay outside and smoke. Nothing too fancy, just great ambiance and the strange feeling of being surrounded by good-looking people.
Due to the cafe's very strict policy, its exact name and location cannot be mentioned, but it is very close to Apgujeong and Sinsadong Garosu-gil road, two adjacent streets famous for luxury shopping. So the next time you are in Seoul, test your stalker skills and hunt this café and you might just meet one of your idols in the flesh.
Since we got plenty of time to hang around the cafe, we took the opportunity to ask these real-life idols what is it like to be in their shoes, and if they could share a few real things that are happening at the back of their glamorous lives.
Idols do not wear make up all the time
Unless they have to be in a certain event, TV appearance, or need to shoot a film, they usually go out in their most normal looking self—free from makeup. Due to the seemingly identical facial features of most idols (especially the boy groups), fans developed a notion that they wear concealer, eyeliner, and anything that would make their face look smooth and shiny, all the time. This is not true.
Although, one thing is for sure: They will always look stylish. No matter what the occasion is, you will catch them wearing trendy outfits (because they have nothing else in their closet that screams basic).
Seoul entertainment companies import talents around the world
The Korean popular culture has grown exponentially over the years; making its entertainment industry a multi-billion-dollar business. In fact, penetrating the US and European markets has become the number one priority for these agencies since the market outside South Korea is more lucrative than relying on their homegrown fans.
This is why having idols who can speak and sing in English is the new norm, of course. Some of these talents still have Korean blood; they were just born and raised somewhere else. Some examples of these stars are former front act of the now disbanded girl group 2NE1, CL; singer and host Eric Nam; singer and songwriter Ailee; and DPR’s Christian Yu, just to name a few. This is good in a way, but this also brings more pressure to local talents.
Idols do not make much money in real life
Trainees are pushed through the grinder of one of the most vicious entertainment industries in the world, starting at a very young age. Some come out as celebrities, but most are just chewed up and spit out.
Becoming an idol is not as easy as showing up in YG’s doorsteps and recording an album. You will go through rigorous trainings in boot camps, and we are talking about a decade long of preparations, in the hopes of one day making it big. The worst part is, in those years of sweat, blood, and tears, you will never know if you will ever get the chance to debut.
Until a K-pop artist releases his first hit song and starts touring overseas, he is probably not going to earn much. This is why most of them still live in an apartment provided by their agencies, living on instant ramen day and night.
In South Korea, the term “slave contract” became a hot topic a few years ago when a certain idol sued his management company for locking him way too long in a contract that gave him next to nothing.
Getting sick quite often is normal for them these days
From training days up to the time of their debut, their schedule is always packed with rehearsals, recording songs, event and TV appearances, and filming commercials. But having a busy schedule does not mean they are getting good projects and are well-paid. Most of these are pro bono in order to get their names out there.
The hectic schedule and lack of sleep could mean risk of exhaustion and other health issues. There had been many cases where K-pop stars fainted in the middle of a live performance, had to cancel a show as they needed to be rushed to the hospital, or ultimately, have to quit their career.
Plastic surgery
It is a “yes” and a “no.” In most cases though, idols are forced to go through plastic surgery, which is normal in South Korea. Since South Korea’s music business is very potent and competitive, agencies are competing with one another to manufacture the next big thing, and this could mean going under the knife for these Hallyu stars. Though this is more common for girl groups as compared to their male counterparts because being seductive and beautiful will go a long way.
Having a good reputation is the most important thing
In Korean culture, a bad public image means it is the end of your career, especially if you work in the entertainment industry. All it takes for these K-pop stars is one scandal to ruin their hard-earned career.
In 2014, all major Korean news websites blew up when one of YG’s biggest girl groups, 2NE1, announced their disbandment following a public scandal of one of its members for allegedly smuggling illegal drugs into the country. Although these accusations have been denied by YG Entertainment, things did not work out for the group, forcing them to close the curtain.
This is the reason why most idols (even trainees) are not allowed to date or be seen with someone in public places, unless they are with a group. Entertainment reporters in South Korea are deliberately savage when it comes to exposing these stars, so idols are very cautious on what they do and what they say that might hurt their career.
They have overly obsessed fans
The word “obsession” is probably an understatement. We are not just talking about fans who are willing to camp out outside concert venues to get ahead with the tickets, or spend a night in the airport just to get a glimpse of their favorite idol.
These are extreme and highly violent fans who would do anything just to follow around their idols, and even go as far as hurting other fans who are trying to get close to their idols.
In one occasion when this writer had to cover an EXO event, a fan confronted him for not standing up and looking cheerful while the K-pop group was performing.
Idols call these fans “sasaeng,” mostly comprised of young girls with extremely sociopathic obsessions. Some of them have even dropped out from school so they would have more time stalking their idols. Some have even reportedly broken into the houses of their idols just to steal their idols’ underwear.
Being a K-pop star comes with a hefty price in the form of losing your private life. And apart from these intrusive fans, they also have paparazzi to worry about — and that doubles the trouble.
They have ‘murderous’ anti-idols following them around
Apart from having die-hard fans, an indication that a K-pop star or group has crossed the threshold is when they start getting death threats.
As weird as it sounds, this is normal in the world of K-pop. Most of the time, these so-called “anti-idols” would spend an entire day to just write mean comments on social media — but there are those who are eager to take things to the next level. At least that is what happened to K-pop singer Yunho when a fan tried to poison him by putting toxic adhesive into his drink. The incident sent him straight to the emergency room and scarred him for life.
In a recent highly publicized report in Seoul, JiMin of Bangtan Boys (BTS), received death threats not only once but twice during the group’s US tour. For undisclosed reasons, this globally famous K-pop boy band is the current target of hate crime.
As expected, being a celebrity is not always about being loved by everyone. Sometimes, the entertainment business entail something darker and lethal; but this will not stop thousands of young hopeful Koreans aspiring to be the next G-Dragon.