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[MyDaily = Reporter Kim Do-hyung] A former idol has drawn attention after detailing the harsh realities she endured as a K-pop trainee.
On May 17, Doi, a former member of FANATICS who now works as a YouTuber, released a video in which she recounted her years as a trainee.
Yoon Doi said she spent roughly nine to ten years training, moving through four or five different agencies. She recalled being told, \”You are not people; you are products,\” and said comments like \”as long as you sell well\” left her deeply hurt.
She described intense competition and relentless pressure. Monthly evaluations, she said, were staged before dozens of company officials who focused only on flaws — an experience she likened to living in hell.
She said demands around weight control became extreme. At 170 cm (about 5 ft 7 in), the company told her to slim down to 42 kg (about 93 lb), and, ahead of her debut, pressured her to fall below 40 kg (about 88 lb).
Yoon Doi said she coped by inducing vomiting and by chewing food without swallowing. She even said she ate spoiled food on purpose and was hospitalized; her weight dropped to about 38 kg (84 lb), and her health deteriorated.
She also alleged she endured verbal abuse and physical punishment while a trainee. \”Even when I was struggling, I couldn’t cry,\” she said, adding that after debut she felt compelled to hide her emotions to protect her image.
Now based chiefly in Taiwan, her video prompted coverage across Taiwanese media. The revelations have renewed calls to address structural problems in the K-pop industry and to reform the trainee system.
FANATICS debuted on Aug. 6, 2019, under FENT as an eight-member multinational group. Facing setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the group effectively disbanded around October 2022.
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