On September 3, the YouTube talk show “Narae-sik,” hosted by comedian Park Na-rae, featured the full lineup of Baby V.O.X — Kim E-Z, Lee Hee-jin, Shim Eun-jin, Kan Mi-youn, and Yoon Eun-hye — for a rare reunion and open discussion.
The episode became emotional and raw as the members reflected on the harsh and often dangerous tasks they were forced to endure during their active years. Shim Eun-jin remembered the group’s appearance on the 2003 survival-style variety show “Boyar Expedition,” saying:
“The producers made us write down our greatest fears — then used them against us. If you feared heights, you had to climb. If Eun-hye feared snakes, she got snakes.”
Yoon Eun-hye elaborated:
“There was one mission where I had to enter a pit full of snakes. I was so scared I cried. Then I heard a voice over the speakers saying, ‘Eun-hye, if you cry, this won’t make it on air, so don’t cry.’ That was the moment I realized I couldn’t cry out loud anymore.”
The “Boyar Expedition” aired between July 27 and November 2, 2003, and featured 19 celebrities competing in physical challenges modeled after the French original. Though it was pitched as entertainment, the behind-the-scenes reality seems far darker.
Shim continued, “We even had to perform circus acts and tightrope walking,” to which Park Na-rae reacted in disbelief: “That was a barbaric era. How did you even do all of that?”
Yoon also reflected on how the trauma of those days lingers:
“Maybe that’s why people say I sound like an old-timer now. I don’t want to be one, but I end up saying things like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t so hard.’ But kids today face different kinds of pressure — everything is filmed, and that can cause anxiety too.”
Though some may have dismissed early idol hardships as “part of the job,” Yoon Eun-hye’s calm yet painful confession reveals just how intense the exploitation was — especially for teenage girls in the K-pop spotlight.
Sources: Daum
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