Caty’s psyched to have her first audition for a K-Pop entertainment agency.But before she can even step foot into the audition room, she’s told she’s too old to try out. Caty’s 23 years old in an industry that prefers to cast people as teenagers. Haeryun investigates where K-Pop’s obsession with youth comes from by following the story of BoA who made her debut at 13 years old. Haeryun also looks at the pressures on young idols through the tragic story of Sulli. Then, Haeryun meets the youngest and oldest students at the academy. Consultant: Suk-Young Kim

Caty’s psyched to have her first audition for a K-Pop entertainment agency. But before she can even step foot into the audition room, she’s told she’s too old to try out. Caty’s 23 years old in an industry that prefers to cast people as teenagers. Haeryun investigates where K-Pop’s obsession with youth comes from by following the story of BoA who made her debut at 13 years old. Haeryun also looks at the pressures on young idols through the tragic story of Sulli. Then, Haeryun meets the youngest and oldest students at the academy. Consultant: Suk-Young Kim

Caty’s psyched to have her first audition for a K-Pop entertainment agency.But before she can even step foot into the audition room, she’s told she’s too old to try out.&nbsp;Caty’s 23 years old in an industry that prefers to cast people as teenagers. Haeryun investigates where K-Pop’s obsession with youth comes from by following the story of BoA who made her debut at 13 years old. Haeryun also looks at the pressures on young idols through the tragic story of Sulli. Then, Haeryun meets the youngest and oldest students at the academy.&nbsp;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.

Society & Culture

Arts

Music

Performing Arts

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.

Share The Age Old Question

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Age Old Question

The Age Old Question

More shows like Mission K-Pop

This American Life

Radiolab

Criminal

Trending Songs: Pop

Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

Dateline NBC

Rotten Mango

Chameleon

Bedtime Stories with Netflix Jr.

Off Duty | The Guardian Investigates

Intrigue

Moral Of The Story

Unicorn Girl

Curse of: America’s Next Top Model