This latest development in the Korean pop industry brings us another question, are idol competitions the latest phenomenon to hit Korea?

As we all know, JYP newest creation, “Hot-Blooded Men” is now undergoing an Idol elimination style of competition on MNet and their numbers will be reduced from an initial 13 to a manageable number. And Kara is also set to go down this path in audition to find their 2 new members on MNet as well in March 2008.

According DSP Entertainment, their auditions for the 2 new members of Kara will follow the style of “MTV Wonder Girls” Season 1. So in a way, it’s different from the Idol elimination style of competition of “Hot-Blooded Men”.

JYP’s “Hot-Blooded Men” is a survival competition between 13 trainees. The final trainees who will remain behind will be decided by fans voting.

Wonder Girls started getting noticed by fans after the broadcast of “MTV Wonder Girls” before their actual debut. Big Bang was another example who started out with 6 members before eventually becoming a 5-member group after selection. Their selection process got a lot of attention after it was shown.

So why does these programs attract the attention of so many people? According to someone from the broadcast industry, “Many youths harbor dreams of being a star and their numbers are increasing by the minute. Viewers are interested to know how they actually debut through their training, competition, etc. From a company perspective, it is a win-win situation for them since it helps to raise the profile of their singers before debuting.”

source:coolsmurf