SOURCE: 170cm에 42kg 강요…지옥 같았던 연습생 시절 고백한 '前 아이돌' 도이
A former member of a girl group has gained attention after speaking out about the brutal realities she faced as an idol trainee in Korea.
On the 17th, Doi, formerly a member of FANATICS who is now active as a Youtuber, opened up about the experiences she went through during her trainee days through a video.
Yoon Doi shared that she spent around nine to ten years training under four to five different agencies. She confessed, "At the time, I was told by the company, 'You are not human beings, you are products,'" adding, "I was deeply hurt by those remarks. It suggested that all that mattered was whether we sold well."
She shared that she endured extreme competition and pressure during her trainee years. In particular, she mentioned about the 'monthly evaluations,' saying, "It was a place where dozens of staff members would watch and point out your flaws," adding, "Every single day felt like hell."
She also revealed her weight was managed at an extreme level. She shocked viewers by revealing that she was ordered by the company to drop her weight to 42kg despite standing at 170cm tall. She was even pressured to lose weight to under 40kg right before her debut.
Yoon Doi confessed, "At the time, I endured by making myself throw up or by spitting out food isntead of swallowing it. I even deliberately ate spoiled food and ended up being rushed to the hospital," adding, "My health completely ruined after my weight fell to 38kg."
Furthermore, she alleged that trainees experienced not only verbal abuse but physical punishment as well. She added, "Even when I was struggling, I wasn’t allowed to cry. After debuting, I also had to hide my emotions because of my image."
Currently active mainly in Taiwan, Yoon Doi's video has since been covered by numerous Taiwanese media outlests. The video leads criticism over structural issues within the Korean idol industry and calls for improvements to the trainee system to emerge.
Meanwhile, FANATICS was an eight-member multinational girl group under FENT that debuted on August 6, 2019. Due to setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the group effectively disbanded around October 2022.
