There is an ongoing joke among Korean netizens that most of the people in North Korea are soldiers and most in South Korea are idols.

There may be some truth to this. It seems like every other week we are introduced to a new idol group, some with new concepts and fresh music, and others trying to market on the same old ideas.

More and more frequently, K-Pop idols are branching out of the music industry and into other domains, namely acting.

While it has long been a tradition that during formal promotions for a new song or album, many of the idol stars appear on variety shows, the new trend is for these young celebrities to score starring roles in television dramas or movies.

Already under a lot of pressure from the media and fans to look perfect and behave a certain way, appearing in an acting role opens the singers up for further judgement.

Across the internet, their acting skills are scrutinized and many critics would rather they just stick to music performances.

This notion has, once again, been thrust into the limelight with the release of an article on Instiz this week where industry professionals rated the acting talents of seven famous K-Pop idols.

The stars were judged on their past roles and predictions were made about the future of their careers as actors.

As arguments continue to surge over the validity of idols as actors, it raises the question of what it means to be an idol in the first place.

Are many critics wrongly assuming that 'idol' is synonymous with 'singer'?

Indeed, there is a lot that goes into becoming an idol, as most of us are well aware of.

These celebrities undergo years of training before debuting, not just singing and dancing lessons, but also acting and language classes as well.

That is without mentioning the extreme dieting, intense workout regimes, and plastic surgeries involved in ensuring the future stars are in tip-top shape to go under the microscope of criticisms from fans and antis alike.

From a very early age, idols are prepped to be stars, not musicians. In fact, as it has been pointed out time and time again, some of them aren't even very good vocalists.  

Kim Hyun Joong in a recent interview admitted that he does not see himself as a 'singing idol' despite having risen to popularity in his early days as the leader of idol group SS501.  Many times his acting talents have been praised more than his musical abilities and he  had a pivotal role in the increasing expansion of idols into the acting business.

Like it or not, the major agencies are not seeking incredible musical talents, they are, rather, looking to create the persona of a world star - and that extends way beyond what we see on stage or in a music video.

K-Pop is a business like any other, and the goods the industry provides come in the package of young talents who are easy on the eyes.

So next time you want to criticize an idol for venturing into acting, consider that it is just another step in his or her career.

Sure, the first attempt may not always be up to snuff, but as with anything, practice makes perfect and instead of scrutinizing everything they do, try to remember that they were cast for a reason, regardless of what you or anyone else thinks.