Where SM Entertainment Street Casts Most Of Their Trainees, According To An Employee

With the help of SHINee‘s Key, singer Lee Seok Hoon took a tour of SM Entertainment to learn more about the company for his web series SSULPLY. He discovered a few places the company goes to street cast trainees who could become their next K-Pop idols.

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During their trip to the casting department, they interviewed employee Byeon Ji Min, who’s been working at the company for five years. Lee Seok Hoon wondered which places they did their street casting most.

Lee Seok Hoon, a casting employee, and SHINee’s Key.

Byeon Ji Min began by naming “places with lots of people,” like the famous Hongdae neighborhood. He also named Gangnam’s subway station. However, they also went to a few unexpected places.

The casting employees didn’t limit their search for future K-Pop idols to the main parts of the country. Byeon Ji Min revealed that SM Entertainment even travels to remote islands like Geojedo to find trainees.

The last place casting employees found most of their trainees were schools, especially because SM Entertainment is currently looking for trainees born in 2004.

See the two celebrities interview SM Entertainment staff about the casting process and more here.