During a recent program appearance, NingNing of aespa discussed her experience with being scouted by SM Entertainment. She revealed that she had been participating in talent shows since the age of 6, which ultimately led to an SM employee reaching out to her on her previous social media platform. The employee praised her singing skills and expressed interest in her potentially becoming an idol, saying, “Your singing is truly impressive. I hope you will consider coming to Korea. Have you ever thought about pursuing a career as an idol?”
Initially, NingNing was skeptical of the message, thinking it could be a scam. She read it, but ultimately brushed it off. However, after some consideration, she decided to respond, thinking there was no harm in trying. To her surprise, the SM employee immediately asked for her availability to travel to Korea and even provided her with a plane ticket. The very next day, NingNing flew to Korea and signed a contract with SM.
Despite being accused of “scamming”in the K-pop industry, SM Entertainment continues to receive casting invitations from many idols. However, there have been instances where idols, like NingNing, have initially thought the offer was a scam. While some have ultimately joined the agency, others have missed the chance. Therefore, it is not uncommon for SM Entertainment to be perceived as a deceptive agency, as evidenced by the following examples.
aespa’s Winter and Karina
Just like NingNing, Winter was also skeptical when she first received a message from SM. She was invited to audition at a music festival, but the person who contacted her did not mention the company’s name, causing her to doubt its legitimacy. In order to ensure her safety, Winter’s parents accompanied her to Seoul for the audition.
At the same time, Karina was sent her invitation through social media and, along with her parents, initially believed it to be a fraudulent scheme.
Sehun
Sehun, currently signed with SM as an artist, initially suspected that he was being deceived when the company first approached him. While enjoying tteokbokki on the street, a staff member from SM reached out to him. Due to his parents’ advice to be wary of strangers, Sehun fled the scene. It took the employee 30 minutes of chasing to convince Sehun to consider the offer.
Winwin of NCT/WayV
The story of how Winwin was recruited has become legendary. SM Entertainment had to approach him a total of seven times before he finally agreed to join them. At first, he even gave them a fake phone number because he was skeptical about the company’s credibility. However, after seeing him perform traditional Chinese dance at a school festival, SM was determined to pursue him once again. They even flew to China seven times before he finally agreed to become a trainee with them.
RIIZE’s Wonbin Biography
According to Wonbin, he received a casting message while he was in bed and, despite thinking it might be a scam, decided to give it a try to skip school. However, it turned out to be a legitimate offer from SM, and he successfully auditioned to become a trainee. Eventually, he debuted as a member of RIIZE.
BTS’s Jin
Prior to joining Big Hit Entertainment and becoming a member of BTS, Jin was offered a chance to audition for SM while he was still in high school. However, he dismissed the opportunity, believing it to be a scam. This decision ultimately shaped his career in a fateful way, leading him to find success with BTS instead.
Reference: K14
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