Grueling gym routines, restrictive diets, and no dating: K-pop stars tell us about the dark side of their industry

Komeil Soheili/Insider

• K-pop stars seem to have it all, with millions of fans dedicating billboards and sending gifts to their idols from around the world.
• A little-spoken aspect of the industry, however, is how hard it is to be — and stay — a star.
• Past and present K-pop stars told Insider about the industry's exceptionally high beauty standards, gym routines, and their inability to date in order to remain accessible to fans.
• One said that her record label confiscated her phone to keep her focused on work.
• Last month K-pop star Sulli was found dead in her home in what police say could be of apparent suicide. She was one of the few stars who deviated from the K-pop mold, and was chastized for it.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

JINJU, South Korea — K-pop stars are loved, and even worshipped, around the world.

BTS fans, who are in their millions, call themselves the "Army" and once flooded a Korean restaurant with one-star Yelp reviews after its owner said another band was better.

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