Suspect K-pop might be your calling? You can be the next global K-pop star alongside the likes of EXO, NCT, Red Velvet and more.

SM Institute (SMI), a partnership between SM Entertainment and Jongro Haneul Education, has been launched as a new school for training K-pop idols. According to Koreaboo, the global art education institute will be situated in Dongnang Art Foundation, located in Namsan.

Offering well-rounded training for aspiring stars, SMI will provide educational programs such as the understanding of K-pop and K-culture and other relevant “know-hows”. Students will be taught in a variety of languages, including Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese to cultivate their talents into global superstars. 

i would go to sm institute if pic.twitter.com/5RBj4kouQZ

— atlas (@malewives) September 9, 2020

While the institute has a primary focus on K-pop, it also identifies as a “model, entertainer, influencer, fashion, beauty and lifestyle content company”. ESteem, a SM Entertainment affiliate, will also be involved in the development of these programs to impart necessary skills for its students. 

Some of the institute’s learning tools will include technology like artificial intelligence to supplement their program, taking into consideration the coronavirus pandemic. It also plans to “export Ed-tech solutions and content overseas”.

me graduating from SM Institute pic.twitter.com/oszjdMorli

— ♔ michelle (@kimlipsmaid) September 9, 2020

Since 2016, SM Entertainment and Jongro Haneul Education have been working together to knit a curriculum that combines the fundamentals of a star and cultural content production.

Seeing that Korean and other foreign languages are essentials to pave the way for global stardom, as well as the importance of “systematic education of specialised curriculum”, SMI aims to deliver students with the best popular culture education and environment during their learning. 

SMI’s course will officially begin March 2021, and students from Japan and other countries will be recruited starting October this year. The institute will also branch overseas to lead the Korean wave of the educational business.

teacher: no eating in class
students in the back of the class in sm institute:pic.twitter.com/TMqi6NPWkM

— dongster 🦦 neofication gas (@32ndecibel) September 9, 2020