Things That Trainees Need To Give Up To Be A Part Of YG, As Told By YG Artists

As the agency behind K-pop hits such as BIGBANG, 2NE1, WINNER, iKON, BLACKPINK, and more, YG Entertainment is an agency that countless trainees have dreamt of being a part of. Though the idol groups mentioned above are now full-fledged artists with various albums and awards under their belts, they were once young trainees, working hard each and every day to achieve their dreams of performing on stage.

YG Entertainment helped them to that stage, but they also had to give up certain things during their trainee years. Here are six things that trainees at YG need to contractually give up, as revealed by current YG artists.

1. Relationships

Enforcing dating bans on trainees is commonly practiced in the Korean entertainment industry. Several YG artists have shared that their agency also partakes in this preventative measure. During his appearance last February on MBC’s “Radio Star,” iKON’s Bobby explained, “When you say YG, it seems like it would be like family and very free, but there are a lot of rules.” He added that no dating was a part of those rules as a trainee.

BLACKPINK’s Jisoo further elaborated on how far the agency went to enforce the dating ban during her appearance on the show, saying, “During our trainee years, the male trainees and female trainees even had different meal times.”

2. Traveling

Previously on tvN’s “New Journey to the West — WINNER Over Flowers,” WINNER’s Kang Seung Yoon shared that the only trip he had ever been on was a school field trip. He surprised everyone by revealing that he had not gone traveling abroad on his personal time because he wasn’t able to. He commented, “We live our lives losing out on [moments] like that, so it can feel like we’re falling behind.”

3. Clubbing

On BLACKPINK’s appearance on SBS’s “Park Jin Young’s Party People” last year, the four members visited Park Jin Young’s club-like set and drank with him. They appeared excited as this was the first time since their debut that they’d gone clubbing. Jennie shared, “We broke two taboos today, drinking and clubbing. It’s a historic day.” Lisa mentioned, “It’s my first time at a club.”

4. Driving

During their group trip to Australia for “New Journey to the West—WINNER Over Flowers,” the four members could not hide their child-like joy when seeing their rental car. This was because YG artists are technically not allowed to purchase cars or drive. Song Mino remarked, “If we want to buy a car, we have to get direct approval from our company first.”

5. Plastic surgery and tattoos

The BLACKPINK members surprised Park Jin Young, head of JYP Entertainment, with YG’s strict taboos. After revealing various taboos the agency enforces including the prohibition of plastic surgery and tattoos, Jennie elaborated by saying, “It’s okay to not get approval from [Yang Hyun Suk], since we’re adults now.”

6. Drinking and smoking

The BLACKPINK members also shared YG’s six taboos on their appearance on “Radio Star.” They shared, “Drinking, smoking, clubbing, driving, plastic surgery, and dating are taboo at YG.” When the emcees expressed their surprise at the strict rules, Jisoo explained, “Even if it’s prohibited, if you settle it with the company it’s possible [to do it]. They’re just saying not to do it without them knowing.”

Which taboo surprises you the most?

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