So you think you can be a K-pop star? Here's the gruelling process

Girl group 2NE1 was once called ‘ugly’ by its boss. — AFP

Lee Jong-im, a pop culture expert and author of Idol Trainees’ Sweat And Tears, goes beneath the surface of the heavily fortified K-pop industry and lays bare some ugly truths about the challenging idol training system.

Sitting down at a cafe in central Seoul, she shared valuable insight gained through months of research and numerous attempts at interviews since 2016 – a time when idol training shows like Mnet’s Produce 101 were just starting to gain a presence on South Korean TV.