Girls’ Generation's Hyoyeon Reveals Just How Strict SM Entertainment Were During Her Trainee Days

It is no secret that the life of a K-Pop trainee isn’t easy. From strict schedules to a lot of pressure, it seems like a K-Pop idol’s stress and busy schedules start before many even debut. Yet, it seems as if this has been going on for years and even for those second-generation idols.

Girls’ Generation‘s Hyoyeon recently appeared on a video on the SM Entertainment YouTube channel along with fellow SM artist Super Junior‘s Shindong and YouTuber Quaddurup.

The trio spoke about her first impressions of the members, her new song, and much more during the video. In particular, she spoke about what it was like being a trainee at SM Entertainment.

At one point, Hyoyeon revealed that she had been riding a scooter since she was 12-years-old. When Shindong asked where she would go, Hyoyeon explained that there was a boba tea shop that trainees would go to. Yet, she added that it was done in secret because of how strict the company was.

We went to XXX and had peach boba tea. But we were dead once we got caught, and we had to write justifications. We weren’t allowed to go out.

— Hyoyeon

Although it seemed harsh, Shindong agreed that SM trainees weren’t allowed to go out while they were training. Hyoyeon added that, if they did go, there was a routine they did to try and not get caught. She explained, “We went out, got some peach boba tea, came back, and pretended like we never went out.”

It also wasn’t an easy journey for Hyoyeon, who spent seven years training under SM Entertainment before debuting. Yet, when asked whether she ever thought about leaving the company, Hyoyeon never had a desire to go anywhere else. She added that it was down to the support that they gave her.

The company supported me with lots of stuff. We all took acting and language lessons, sight-reading, and music diction.

— Hyoyeon

Despite the group’s success, there is no denying that SM Entertainment was definitely strict with their trainees. Although some might say it helped the idols in the long run, it was an extreme move, and trainees still face those conditions today.

You can watch the whole video below.