The road to stardom

The road to stardom

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Thousands of Korean children dream of becoming household names like rapper Psy, whose 2012 "Gangnam Style" video was a global YouTube hit, often putting up with punishing schedules in the hope of one day making it big in the music industry.

K-pop is the rage in Asia, especially in China and Japan, and the industry is eyeing new audiences in the West.

. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Members from South Korean girlband GFriend perform during The Show in Seoul

The trainees who survive and make it to the top reap the benefit of adulation by fans and stadium crowds.

Overseas sales revenues garnered by the "Korean Wave" pop culture industry, which includes music and TV dramas, nearly doubled to $730 million in 2013 in just five years, Bank of Korea data shows.

. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Nine-year-old Kim Si-yoon, pictured playing a toy guitar at her house in Seoul, has no time to throw tantrums.

She wakes up at half-past seven for school, followed by hours of voice training, dance lessons and cram school before crashing into bed at midnight. Kim wants to be a K-pop star.

Kim is training for auditions to get into reputed talent management companies such as YG Entertainment or S.M. Entertainment. Success would bring a tougher schedule, perhaps even leading her to drop out of school.

. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim (second right), said she recognised the sacrifices needed to realise her dream.

"It is tough. So I am trying to have fun and when I make efforts, I can perform better," she said.

Her stay-at-home mom drives Kim around Seoul each day, determined to see her own thwarted ambition of becoming a singer fulfilled by her daughter.

. DAEJEON, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Jang Ha-jin made it to S.M. Entertainment's coveted training programme a decade ago after winning a talent contest. She stuck to a seven-day regimen for nearly three years, before giving it all up to return to a more sedate life.

Now studying a degree in engineering, Jang remembers being trapped in an energy-sapping timetable that included lessons in Chinese, since many K-pop bands were trying to make inroads into China.

"The most difficult part in fact was when I saw myself and felt like I didn't grow up," said Jang, 23, remembering her stressful teenage years.

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Slideshow

Kim Si-yoon puts on her makeup as she arrives with her mother to take part in a dance class.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Si-yoon puts on her makeup as she arrives with her mother to take part in a dance class.

Kim Si-yoon (centre) takes part in a dance class.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Si-yoon (centre) takes part in a dance class.

Kim plays the piano during class.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim plays the piano during class.

Kim (center left) and Yoo Ga-eul look at a smartphone as they take a short break during class.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim (center left) and Yoo Ga-eul look at a smartphone as they take a short break during class.

Kim listens during a private english lesson.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim listens during a private english lesson.

Kim and Yoo (left) take a "selfie" at a restaurant.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim and Yoo (left) take a "selfie" at a restaurant.

Kim and Yoo (left) perform in front of their mothers at a playground.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim and Yoo (left) perform in front of their mothers at a playground.

Yoo plays after taking part in a vocal lesson.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Yoo plays after taking part in a vocal lesson.

Kim and her mother pray before dinner.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim and her mother pray before dinner.

A video clip shows Kim Si-yoon performing in her house aged four.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A video clip shows Kim Si-yoon performing in her house aged four.

Various cosmetics are seen on display at a beauty salon.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Various cosmetics are seen on display at a beauty salon.

Members of South Korean girl band GFriend receive a makeover as SinB (second right) and Yuju (right) look on at a beauty salon.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Members of South Korean girl band GFriend receive a makeover as SinB (second right) and Yuju (right) look on at a beauty salon.

Members of South Korean girl band GFriend practice for their debut.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Members of South Korean girl band GFriend practice for their debut.

GFriend perform during a dry rehearsal of television program, The Show.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

GFriend perform during a dry rehearsal of television program, The Show.

Members of GFriend watch back their performance after a rehearsal.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Members of GFriend watch back their performance after a rehearsal.

Members GFriend perform on The Show.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Members GFriend perform on The Show.

GFriend fans react as the group perform on The Show.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

GFriend fans react as the group perform on The Show.

GFriend take a 'selfie' after their performance.
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

GFriend take a 'selfie' after their performance.

Members from South Korean girl group GFriend leave the studio after performing on ‘The Show.’
. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Members from South Korean girl group GFriend leave the studio after performing on ‘The Show.’

"When I first saw Si-yoon dance performance, I was taken by surprise."
Kim Hong-Ji, Reuters Photographer

It was when I first decided to do a story about K-pop that I realised the massive scale of the industry. I had no idea where to begin! I tried contacting various K-pop dance schools, but many refused to leak their secret training recipes to the public.

Then one day, I met nine-year-old Si-yoon at a dance school. She didn't look different from other kids her age. Her dream, however, was very different. Her one hope was to become a famous K-pop idol.

When I first saw Si-yoon dance performance, I was taken by surprise. She was dancing among a group of over 30 adults, but her performance was outstanding because she had been practicing for three years already.

Her daily schedule is tough. After elementary school, she goes to piano class and then English class. She returns home at 5 p.m. but the day does not end there.

After doing her homework, she takes a short break for dinner and then is off to the dance academy, where dance and vocal lessons last until late at night. As it's quite far from her home, the only time for a nap is during the drive there.

But what surprised me most was how happily Si-yoon followed this tough path as this was what she had to do to achieve her final goal.

I once met her on Saturday - the only day in a week that she could play for an hour after taking a vocal lesson. She was playing with her best friend, her best dancing partner, and they looked happy like other ordinary kids their age.

But during the lesson, the students were given time to think about their dream. Si-yoon wrote hers down without hesitating:

"I want to be a great singer. I am always doing my best. My dream is to become one of YG Entertainment’s artists. I will keep putting all my efforts into achieving everything I want."

Si-yoon has admitted how tough the path she has chosen would be, but still she does not want to give up.

One day, after her packed schedule ended at last, I asked her what she would do if she did not become a K-pop singer.

"I will be a famous K-pop Idol star. If not, my life is meaningless," she responded.

. SEOUL, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
A member of South Korean girl group GFriend signs her autograph on their album.