SM Entertainment, one of South Korea's big three talent agencies, is launching new reality series "Idol Moms," based on Lifetime's "Dance Moms."
In the East Asian country, young pop singers and dancers, normally members of girl and boy groups, are called idols.
Five idol hopefuls have been chosen to participate in the series after a rigorous audition. They are Yeom Da Hyun, Kim Nae Oh, Jung Jae Woong, Lee Hyun Jin, and Yoo Chae Young.
Yeom Da Hyun has already previously appeared on the game show "Finding Genius," as a prodigy in Korean dance and math. Meantime, Kim Nae Oh was a member of "Little Wanna One," who joined boy group Wanna One for their "Beautiful" music video.
For the audition, not only the idol hopefuls were considered, but the colorful personalities of their mothers as well. The cast includes a former supermodel, a working mother, and a "dance mom" who apparently enjoys dancing more than her child.
The show will be hosted by Kangta (Ahn Chil-hyun), former vocalist of legendary South Korean boy group H.O.T. He will also serve as mentor with the help of two others.
Jang Jin Young, vocal trainer for SM Entertainment artists SHINee, EXO and Red Velvet, will be the show's vocal coach. Kim Tae Woo, popular for teaching EXO its iconic moves, will be the dance coach.
Various SM Entertainment artists will also reportedly drop in for special appearances, as the world finds out how the talent agency develops its global stars. Aside from the abovementioned acts, among the possible guests include members of Super Junior, Girls Generation, NCT, f(x), TVXQ, and more.
Apart from the training, the contestants, with the help of their mothers, will have to go through various missions for the show.
"We are working with the SM of the nation's best idol upbringing system and broadcast production to create a high-level program," said Soo Yeon Sun, CEO of E & I Networks Korea, which is producing the show.
"Idol Moms" premieres on Feb. 1, 8 p.m. KST, on Lifetime Korea. It will also be shown across 30 other countries through Lifetime Asia.
