Child idols in South Korea and beyond: Manufacturing young stars at the intersection of the K-pop and influencer industries

Abstract

This article explores how the influencer and traditional entertainment industries are converging in the “child idol” phenomenon—a celebrity genre and system that had existed prior to the emergence of the influencer industry but has now been remixed with the influencer industry’s convention and refashioned as the stepping stone to lubricate children’s journeys toward professional idol careers in the wake of K-pop culture. We examine the “child idol” phenomenon as a case study wherein children perform as a younger version of K-pop idols under entertainment agencies’ in-house training systems, with calibrated construction of social media personae by influencer agencies and their parents. Despite ongoing attempts to protect children in the industry, undertaken by the Korean government and human rights organizations, the exploitative environment of child stars becomes even more serious as it becomes a template adopted by other countries emulating the success of K-pop.