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With training centers popping up everywhere, from Sydney to New York City, the ever-ambitious K-pop industry has flung its doors open to foreign talent. Many idols speak multiple languages and are often required to perform in different languages, with Japan proving a particularly lucrative market. This means that foreigners entering the industry need to brush up on their language skills fast, especially when it comes to Korean.

"As a foreigner in Korea, it was actually quite hard," Chinese-Australian artist Prince Mak said. "Korea is actually very foreign friendly, but in the industry, it's not very foreign friendly. They won't forgive you for not speaking good Korean. They think if you're working in Korea, if you're in the K-pop industry, you have to speak good Korean." Mak isn't the only mixed-race idol to experience difficulties. Some artists claim they've been racially discriminated against.

British-Korean singer Shannon was trolled after she performed the Korean national anthem at a baseball game. "My mother is Korean, and it shouldn't matter, because I have Korean blood in me," she said (via SBS). "But they kept calling me a foreigner. They wrote negative comments about me." 

Chinese native Fei, of girl group Miss A, had a similar experience with haters. "When I first came to Korea, someone asked me if I only take a shower once a week. I was taken aback," she recalled (via AllKPop.) "I said, 'I shower everyday. Why? Do you think Chinese people don't take showers?' The person seriously thought that. I was surprised."

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