Jessica Jung, the former SM Entertainment idol and Girls’ Generation member, talked about the reality of street casting in K-Pop.
Jessica Jung | @jessica.syj/Instagram
As many K-Pop fans know, entertainment agencies often scout people randomly on the streets, trying to convince them to audition or join them as trainees. Some of the most popular idols were scouted this way, including BTS’s Jin, TWICE’s Sana, and EXO’s Sehun.
Jin | @jin/Instagram Sana | @m.by__sanaInstagram Sehun | @oohsehun/Instagram
Jessica Jung also had a similar start in the industry. She was scouted while on a family vacation in Seoul with her San Francisco-based family. Representatives of SM Entertainment noticed her in a shopping mall and approached her mother, proposing to bring her to audition. Interestingly, her sister Krystal was also scouted at the same time. Jessica was only 11 at that time, and Krystal was merely 5!
Krystal Jung | @vousmevoyez/Instagram
Jessica ended up joining SM Entertainment as a trainee in 2000, leading to her debut with Girls’ Generation. Recently, she talked about the unique experience of getting street-scouted during a podcast called Daily Ketchup, where she joined as a special guest.
The host asked Jung what exactly scouters look for while casting people from the streets, raising concerns that it might be predatory if there are professionals approaching kids based on their physical attractiveness.
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Isn’t it really pedo-ish…if the scout was a guy and then they were going to 11 year old…and not even talent spotting in a festival or anything…They’re just like, ‘You, you look really pretty.’…What else do you think they look for?
— Jonathan Chua, cast member of “Daily Ketchup”
The singer-actor responded that to her, these castings are based on the overall “aura” of the person and how they carry themselves. Though Jessica said she couldn’t exactly pinpoint how they trace it in a child who is still developing, she does believe that some people always carry that uniqueness.
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When another host added that in South Korea, where street scouting is normalized, getting approached for auditions might not stand out as much as it does in other cultures. But Jessica revealed that in a big company like SM Entertainment, few talents are cast from the streets.
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Jessica’s insider scoop only adds to the perspective to help outsiders realize how unique our beloved street-casted idols must have been since a young age!
