Welcome to the academy. Our host, journalist Haeryun Kang, follows Caty as she gets acquainted with K-Pop Art School, an incubator for aspiring K-Pop idols.

Early on, Caty hears warnings about the demands of the industry that has left a trail of burned-out trainees in its path. Staff at the school are also keen to remind the students about the level of competition in K-Pop. Very few people actually reach the heights of K-Pop stardom. Caty attends a dance class that might tell her if she has what it takes.

Consultant: Suk-Young Kim

The Age Old Question

Caty Szeto is a woman with a dream: to become a K-Pop superstar. The 23-year-old Asian American is traveling from her home in LA to South Korea’s capital Seoul to attend a K-Pop academy. There she’ll do hardcore training in singing, dancing and styling. All this is to prepare for make-or-break auditions for K-Pop agencies like SM Entertainment, Big Hit Music and YG Entertainment. If she makes it, Caty could become a chart-topping idol like the megastars who perform to legions of fans and make millions. But this quest has its challenges. Caty finds out about ageism in the industry, where many new idols are in their teens. Then she comes face-to-face with incredibly specific K-beauty standards while navigating being a foreigner in K-Pop. Over just three months, our host journalist Haeryun Kang follows Caty to see if she can overcome these obstacles and reach K-Pop stardom.From USG Audio, Novel and PRX, Mission K-Pop is an 8-part podcast series about one woman's quest to become an idol and how her journey illuminates the beautiful and chaotic world of K pop.