Here's Why The Debut Age Wasn't As Young Ten Years Ago As It Is Now, According To IU And 2AM

Every year, new groups debut in K-Pop. One of the most recent debuts is Starship Entertainment‘s IVE.

The announcement of IVE’s maknae Leeseo sparked discussions online after it was revealed that she was born in 2007, making her 14 years old.

According to veteran idols IU and 2AM in a past episode of IU’s Palette, the debut age is only getting younger.

The topic was brought up when Jinwoon recalled the first time he met IU. He was surprised to see another idol showing up to rehearsals wearing a school uniform.

We were doing rehearsals, and I was the only one wearing a school uniform. Then I saw another school uniform and I said, ‘It’s a uniform!‘

— Jinwoon

IU laughed and noted that when they made their debut over ten years ago, the maknae age wasn’t as young as it is now. For reference, IU was 15 when she debuted and Jinwoon was 17.

There are a lot of those cases nowadays, but the debut age wasn’t that young in our time.

— IU

Jinwoon interjected, “Because we had to go back to school.”

IU agreed, adding that back then, young idols had to return to school after work.

We had to go back to school and leave early or something.

— IU

Nowadays, trainees and idols who attend art schools enjoy more lenient schedules. Some idols like IVE’s Yujin have also chosen to drop out of high school and take a GED exam instead.