On the March 4 broadcast of tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block”, SM Entertainment’s Artist Development Center head Yoon Hee-jun appeared as a guest. Having joined the company in 2005, Yoon is known as a key figure every SM artist passes through during their training period and is often described as a living witness to the company’s history.
Over the years, she has played a role in developing numerous K-pop stars, including Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, f(x), EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, aespa, RIIZE, and Hearts2Hearts. Yoon recalled that she originally applied to the casting department and was immediately sent out to the field after joining the company. She even revealed that she personally scouted EXO member Chanyeol on site.
During the broadcast, EXO’s Kai who is now in his 20th year with SM and RIIZE’s Wonbin, an eight-year trainee and artist under the company, appeared in a special interview segment to share behind-the-scenes stories about Yoon Hee-jun, who is famously nicknamed the “scary center head.”
Kai humorously recalled how intimidating she seemed during evaluations. He said she would sit with her legs crossed, wearing a black jacket and red lipstick, delivering sharp and honest critiques. Kai admitted that the trainees were so nervous when she watched over practice sessions that they even set up someone as a lookout.
Wonbin shared a similar memory, describing Yoon’s presence as extremely intense. He said she usually wore chic black outfits and jokingly remarked that it almost felt like black smoke was rising from her. Whenever his name was called by her, Wonbin remembered trembling while singing and dancing during evaluations.
Yoon Hee-jun also revealed a secret about Kai’s stage name that even the EXO member himself did not know. She explained that the name “Kai” came from the word “Sky,” symbolizing the idea that he was “a child sent from the heavens,” and the “S” was simply removed to create the final stage name.
In addition, Yoon named Kai, NCT’s Doyoung, and RIIZE’s Wonbin as some of the most hardworking and intense artists she has trained. She also caught attention by revealing that NCT 127 was the group she scolded the most and trained the most strictly.
Meanwhile, “You Quiz on the Block,” hosted by Yoo Jae-suk, is a talk show that explores the lives and stories of its guests through heartfelt conversations. The program airs every Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. on tvN.
Sources: Nate
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