Female middle school student A (13) is a fan of another entertainment agency's male trainee B. This morning B uploaded a practice video of himself singing and dancing on his agency's Facebook page. Just two months ago B didn't reveal his singing much, but B completed singing a full song. At that A was very happy. Next month B will be appearing as a guest at another senior singer's concert. Upon finding out that the song B sings will be determined by vote, A is left in a happy moment of contemplation. A has been following B for a year now, supporting and cheering him on in his growth.

It looks as if these types of fans such as A will be expanding in Korea. Recently many entertainment agencies have revealed trainees that haven't even debuted yet. They show the trainees' days from training to their actual debut, allowing the fans to take part in this process. It's a result of the fierce battle for fans in the entertainment world. Entertainment agencies use social networking services to their advantage to find fans for their trainees.

One of Korea's Big 3 agencies SM Entertainment revealed the pre-debut team 'SM Rookies.' It was their attempt to give a preview into the process these trainees will take to become stars. SM has revealed the members' profiles, everyday lifestyles, practicing videos, and the like on SM Rookies' SNS and YouTube channels. Their plans is to have the trainees collaborate and perform songs, and to have them appear on variety shows. An SM rep stated, "We plan to broaden the opportunities for fans to participate in the trainees' activities," and "It will allow fans to share in their growth to go with our 'co-creation' concept."

Preceding this Son Dam Bi and After School's agency Pledis Entertainment has been revealing the training stages of 17-member idol group "Seventeen." Ever since 2012 "Seventeen TV" has been broadcast through the internet via UStream. Fans are able to peek into the practice rooms through the monitor, and even vote to determine who will appear onstage at the concert. Pledis' Kim Yeon Soo stated, "We wanted to destroy the notion that idol singers are easily made by entertainment agencies. That's why we've been broadcasting the trainees' preparation stages for the past year and a half."

The marketing strategy of revealing rookie idols even before their debut started in 2000 with the second generation of idols. YG Entertainment revealed Big Bang's debut preparations starting in July of 2006 through cable channel MTV and internet channel Gom TV's "Real Documentary Big Bang." Big Bang revealed their difficult training, and was able to build a fandom even before their debut. Wonder Girls, Girls Generation, and BEAST were able to raise awareness of their groups before their debuts through reality programs.

This kind of project evolved into a survival program that fans can take part in. In 2008 JYP Entertainment revealed their 13 trainees and left the group members up to vote. They were voted based on their song, dance, and guerrilla concerts. Net users voted for the final members of 2PM and 2AM. Jelly Fish Entertainment chose 6 out of 10 members for VIXX in 2012 through Mnet's "My Idol." YG's "WIN: Who Is Next" showed trainees split into 2 groups, and the final winner debuted as the group WINNER. "SM Rookies" and "Seventeen TV" are both examples of long-term projects that are lasting over a year.

Entertainment agencies are revealing their pre-debut trainees to the public because there are dozens of idol groups, and the agencies want to build up fandoms for them. Fans can especially grow closer to the trainees as they learn more about their personal everyday lives on these programs. One rep stated, "By revealing the trainee's training processes, fans become more interested in the groups, and they can take part in their debut process as well."

Fans nowadays like having the option of getting early information through SNS and uploading their own opinions through their SNS as well. Entertainment agencies are encouraging this type of behavior for fans. A rep stated, "Instead of gaining fans through already-made idols, we support fans knowing idols pre-debut and letting them take part through co-creation of the rookies starting from their debut preparation."