Recently, a video titled “We Came to Set Today’s K-pop Straight (Apink, BTOB, BEAST))” was uploaded on the YouTube channel This Changsub & That Changsub. In the opening, the production team joked about inviting former Cube employees, surprising Lee Changsub. Soon after, guests Park Chorong and Son Dongwoon appeared, and the trio warmly greeted each other.

During the episode, the three artists discussed the strict rules and intense atmosphere they faced as trainees under Cube Entertainment. Park Chorong recalled, “We had evaluations every weekend and monthly assessments.” Lee Changsub added, “Weekly evaluations were about what you practiced that week, but monthly evaluations were basically about whether you’d be cut or not,” highlighting the pressure they endured. Park Chorong admitted, “It was truly terrifying.”

Lee Changsub also shared, “Every month was nerve-wracking. They cut people without hesitation,” adding, “If you couldn’t lose weight, you were cut.” When Park Chorong mentioned that trainees were weighed every Monday, Lee Changsub agreed, revealing, “It was the same for us. I weighed 80kg when I joined, but I dropped to 60kg.”

He further explained the strict standards at the time: “For women, they wanted weights in the low 40kg range. For men, mid-60kg. Taller trainees were expected to be in the low 70kg range.”

Park Chorong also shared a particularly distressing memory. “When I couldn’t lose weight, my dance teacher told me, ‘Chorong, this is dangerous. There are talks about you from above,’” she said. “I remember crying while running on the treadmill after hearing that,” she added, evoking sympathy from viewers.

Sources: Daum