How much Korean should I know as a foreigner trainee?

Nowadays, it's not difficult to find a foreigner member in a K-Pop idol group. As K-pop's popularity expands around the world, recruiting foreigner members has become a necessity. In the past, you'd see foreigner members being anyone born overseas of Korean descent, or mainly Asians like Thai, Japanese or Chinese. Nowadays, we're seeing an increase in foreigner members of diverse nationalities like the United States, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Philippines, India etc.

Why are Korean companies picking foreigners to become trainees?

Having foreigner members not only helps you gain attention and recognition from fans in that country, but you can also gain interest by having someone that shares the same language and culture as them.

Initially, there were major language problems when promoting overseas, but now there is a need for members who can naturally blend in with the local culture. In addition, due to the decline in the domestic youth population recently, it has become difficult to find talent, thus we increasingly see recruitment of talent from overseas.

So how much Korean language proficiency is required?

If you don't know a single word in Korean when you become a trainee that's not an issue but after you sign a contract, your whole life will be in Korean. You might have interpreters for some lessons but the communication for most of your education will be in Korean. Foreigner trainees learn basic communication skills through Korean classes but it takes time to understand cultural nuances.

As a trainee, you must overcome language barriers and the homesickness that comes with it, and the uncertainty of your future. Trainees who come to Korea alone from abroad often miss their families and experience loneliness because of the Korean culture and lifestyle. Additionally, adjusting to the team lifestyle and cultural practices being in a Korean idol group is not an easy process.

While preparing for their debut, trainees must strengthen their teamwork through communication and empathy with each other, and learn how to communicate with their Korean fans as well. Through this whole process, there will always be language barriers but their passion and effort go a long way in helping them achieve their dream of debuting.

Lastly, foreigner members continue to improve their Korean skills even after debuting and they must make efforts to better integrate into Korean culture. Language and cultural understanding are important factors towards achieving success in their activities.