While many girls still want to chase their dream of becoming a K-pop star, it seems that boys are increasingly giving up on that aspiration.
According to The Korea Herald, K-pop agencies in South Korea are facing quantity and quality issues in finding male trainees as many young men prefer to become influencers or YouTubers.
"It's been about two to three years that the number of male trainees has reduced by more than 30 per cent.
"There are fewer than 10 boys in the trainee group out of 30 in total.
"Promising talents have all gone on to become influencers on Instagram or YouTube because those paths offer a better chance of success than debuting in a K-pop boy band.
"Meanwhile, K-pop trainees face various restrictions, such as being unable to date and having to maintain a strict diet," said an official from a local music label.
Trainees often undergo three to five years of intense training and must compete fiercely for a very slim chance to debut.
Even if they achieve stardom, K-pop stars or idols are held to strict moral standards by the public.
Another reason for the decline could be attributed to the lack of sustainability for male K-pop stars.
"For K-pop boy band idols, fulfilling mandatory military service is crucial.
"Male trainees consider how long they can sustain their careers after being discharged from the Army.
"Most of the time, they lose fans and fail to continue their careers.
"BTS and Seventeen are exceptional cases," said an industry insider.
The insider added that there were no new successful boy bands for young male trainees to look up to.
"There has been no K-pop boy group that has achieved success similar to that of BTS. Maybe Seventeen, but they are not new.
"Male trainees know this and are not willing to sacrifice their youth for uncertainty," the insider said.
Music critic Kim Do-heon told The Korea Herald that entertainment companies should treat male and female trainees better.
"The issue of loss of male trainees at local K-pop agencies has been around for quite a while.
"Entertainment companies need to offer better working environments for trainees in line with current trends.
"I am sure the number of female trainees will also decrease in the future if the outdated training system does not improve," the critic said.