K-pop audition safety guides

Warning signs and protections every K-pop hopeful should know, with public sources.

Audition scams

5 Steps to Check Whether an Agency Is Legitimate — Check 대중문화예술기획업 registration, compare audition notices on official channels, and verify the email domain and office address to spot impersonators and fake agencies.
Safety Guidelines for Auditions and Meetings — Protect yourself by declining meetings in unofficial locations, one-on-one late-night meetings, drinking invitations, and on-the-spot contract demands. Bring a parent or guardian and share your locat…
If You’ve Sent Money — Steps to Take After a Scam — A step-by-step guide to requesting a payment suspension, preserving evidence, reporting to the police, and preventing follow-up scams after sending money for audition fees or a deposit.
Requests for Photos and Videos, Threats, and Grooming — How grooming uses praise and a sense of closeness to solicit photos, what to do if someone threatens to share recorded material, and where to get free removal support.
Protecting Your Personal Information and Photos in Your Audition Application — How to spot audition application processes that ask for your Resident Registration Number, ID copy, or verification code, and protect submitted photos and videos from misuse.

Protection Provisions for Minors under the 대중문화예술산업발전법 (Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act) — Maximum of 35 hours per week for those under 15 and 40 hours for those aged 15 to under 19; restrictions on nighttime activities; and, from August 2025, bans on forcing excessive exposure, appearance…
Parent/Guardian Checklist — When Your Child Starts Auditioning or Training — Items for parents/guardians to check, from verifying the agency and reviewing the contract and supplementary agreement to confirming the youth protection officer and checking schedules, education, ho…

Key Guide to the Standard Exclusive Contract for Popular Culture Artists — Key clauses in the standard exclusive contract issued by the Fair Trade Commission — maximum contract term, settlement method, right to access records, ban on improper expense deductions, termination…
Key Points of the Standard Trainee Contract Explained — Standard trainee contract guidelines — a maximum contract term of 3 years, training costs and accounting disclosures, limits on penalties upon termination, and mental health and human rights protecti…
When a Contract Dispute Arises — From Keeping Records to Getting Advice — When you don't receive settlement payments, are treated unfairly, or are told your contract is being terminated unilaterally, follow these steps: gather evidence, make a written request, and use publ…
What to Check Before Enrolling in an Entertainment Academy or Private Institute, and Refund Rules — How to spot high-priced class offers claiming to have "agency connections" or "guaranteed debut," and the tuition refund rules under the Private Teaching Institutes Act.

Protecting Your Body from Diet and Appearance Pressure — Warning signs of pressure to lose weight unsafely, being made to go hungry, or practicing through injuries—and ways aspiring trainees who are still growing can protect themselves.
Taking Care of Yourself After Rejection or Burnout — Things you can do for yourself after an audition rejection, monthly evaluation stress, or burnout—and signs that mean you should ask for help right away.

A Step-by-Step Residency Status Roadmap for International Audition Applicants — Short-term audition (C-3/visa-free entry) → professional academy training (D-4-6) → change to arts and entertainment status (E-6-1) after signing an exclusive contract.
Staying Safe in Korea as an Aspiring Trainee from Overseas — Refuse requests to hand over your passport or 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card), get conditions in writing before entering Korea, keep track of your stay, and contact 1345 for advice in multiple langu…