[Grace Kao] Manners and morals for everyday idols

K-pop group BTS debuted in June 2013, and the rest is history. But did you ever wonder about the other boy groups that debuted that year? Maybe it’s because I’m a sociologist, but I believe we can learn more about social phenomena when we talk to the average rather than exceptional person, or idol in this case. There are thousands of former idols or trainees that didn’t “make it big.” Some have even managed to stay in the K-pop music industry. For people who became idols because they loved music, this seems like an ideal outcome.

I talked to two such people -- Kim Soo-yoon and Kim Su-bin (no relation), both former idols who debuted in 2013 and who both work in the K-pop industry. What I learned from them is that "inseong" (which means personality, manners, or moral character) is critical in the K-pop business.

Kim Soo-yoon is a drummer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer for FNC Entertainment. He has written hundreds of songs, the latest for P1Harmony, SF9, and Amper&One’s newest albums. He also works with trainees at FNC. He is also a former idol from the group Royal Pirates, which debuted at the same time as BTS. The group released a few music videos and four EPs. They appeared on shows like Music Bank and M Countdown dozens of times. Their first album made the charts in Korea, but their subsequent releases were less successful.

Soo-yoon, together with the rest of his bandmates (Kim Moon and James Lee), were members of a rock band in the Los Angeles area when they were discovered via their YouTube cover videos. From there, a company offered them a chance to move to Korea to train as idols.

After the group’s activities first ended in 2017, Soo-yoon went to the military. Upon his return, he managed to return to the industry with help from Moon, who was writing songs for K-pop artists.

He has no regrets about being an idol, despite experiencing modest success. He loved performing in front of fans. However, there were long periods of waiting around, either at a TV show or for the next EP to be released, which were hard to endure. It was difficult to earn little to no money as an idol while watching his friends become independent adults. What was even more challenging was learning not to feel jealous when witnessing the success of other idols. Ultimately, he learned to be happy for his friends. Soo-yoon also told me that he realized that fame does not last.

While he and his bandmates were very confident in their skills as musicians, he realized that there were so many talented people -- many more than the K-pop industry could ever absorb. “I learned that timing is important, and luck is 90 percent of what determines success. You are simply a boat in the ocean, and you have to ride the waves.” Over time, he learned that it was important to be humble, a trait that is valued by people in the industry.

Soo-yoon's advice to new trainees is that you have to have a great attitude and good inseong. “You should do what you can do at the moment. Learn to go with the flow. Do your best, and let the universe take care of the rest.”

Kim Su-bin is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer/topliner for Aiming Music. He has produced hundreds of songs for groups like Astro, Super Junior, SF9, Iz*One, Drippin’ and dozens of soundtracks sung by artists like Baekyun (EXO), Gummy and Punch, among others. He is also the former lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter for the idol group Say Yes, which also debuted in 2013.

His origin story is different from those of most idols -- he was a working producer when he was approached about the possibility of becoming an idol. The entertainment company thought it could get a songwriter, producer and performer all in one. While he loves being a musician, he did not hesitate to tell me that he would not do it over again. Still, he values the skills he acquired. Like Royal Pirates, his group also produced several albums and appeared on music shows dozens of times.

One lesson was the importance of teamwork. He explains: “We were all good at different things. I might be a stronger singer, but another member might be a better dancer. So, we had to help each other.” He adds that because his group did not become famous, it was not time well spent.

He also learned how to be patient. “It was frustrating to be unable to release the next album even though it was ready, and fans were waiting for it. The entertainment company controlled the timing of everything.” After the last album was released by Say Yes in 2018, Subin stayed in contact with songwriters in the industry and was able to continue working as a songwriter and producer. He now works closely with CR Kim, formerly of Blue Spring, a ballad duo.

When he met BTS backstage in the month of their debut, he thought to himself that he could beat them and that Say Yes could reach No. 1 in Korea or even worldwide. To this day, he remembers that the BTS members were “nice and humble.” In other words, they had good inseong.

Finally, his advice to young trainees is to make efficient use of their time. Unless one becomes famous, it is very difficult to earn money as an idol. He also noted the importance of inseong but added any bad inseong would spread instantly via social media.

When I was in middle school in San Francisco, California, I took a class titled, “Manners and Morals for Everyday Youth” with Frank Foreman and Judy Logan. Who knew that a course titled “Manners and Morals (or inseong) for Everyday (K-pop) Idols” should be required of K-pop trainees in Seoul?

By Grace Kao

Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. -- Ed.