On December 19, former Lovelyz member Lee Mi-joo held a Q&A session on her YouTube channel to celebrate surpassing 100,000 subscribers. The video was filmed at AOMG’s headquarters, marking her first YouTube shoot since officially transferring from Antenna to the hip-hop-based label.
When staff jokingly remarked that many people were surprised by her move—thinking she might be “doing hip-hop again”—Mi-joo laughed and explained, “People were really shocked. It is a hip-hop company, but AOMG is starting a 2.0 era, and I became the first artist of that new chapter. I feel like I need to start it off well.”
Reflecting on the happiest moment of her life, Mi-joo pointed to her debut with Lovelyz, recalling the intense competition she endured as a trainee. “There were about 40 trainees, and I kept getting eliminated during monthly evaluations,” she said, admitting she constantly feared being cut and often wanted to give up.
She also shared emotional memories of calling her mother during that time. “I’d say, ‘I miss you so much,’ and my mom would yell, ‘You said you wanted to do this!’” Mi-joo recalled. “I’d tell myself, ‘Okay, I’ll try one more month,’ and that’s how I held on until debut.”
During the Q&A, the production team asked whether she had auditioned for other companies. That’s when Mi-joo made a surprising confession.
“This is my first time talking about this,” she said. “I was in high school, and that company was brand new—but it turned out to be a scam.” According to Mi-joo, the agency made trainees sit in the office all day without providing any actual training.
“They just had us sit there. No practice, nothing,” she explained. “But they kept saying they had invested money, and when we tried to leave, they demanded a penalty fee.”
Mi-joo admitted she eventually paid the fee just to get out. “It was dirty and unfair, but I paid it anyway,” she said bluntly.
Her revelation has since resonated with fans, many of whom praised her honesty and courage in speaking up about trainee exploitation—an issue that continues to shadow the K-pop industry.
Now embarking on a new chapter at AOMG, Mi-joo’s story stands as both a reminder of her resilience and a glimpse into the hardships hidden behind her bright on-screen persona.
Sources: Netizenbuzz
You must be logged in to post a comment.