Expert Assessment — ~~$79~~ $49 Save $30 Get it →

Real KPOP training. Straight from Seoul.

Built by former SM Performance Director Jae Shim — the Keens Seoul curriculum, now online.

Find my starting point → See sample report

In partnership with SM Entertainment ● 15,000+ trainees globally

Introducing Keens

Seoul's #1 KPOP academy.

20+

Years SM Performance Direction

15,000+

Trainees globally

Agency network

800+

Offline trainees in Seoul

Formerly ED KPOP

In partnership with

Want to debut? Start here.

You don’t need to move to Korea to begin training seriously. With Keens’ curriculum, trainers who trained top KPOP stars, and your hard work, your dream can become real — step by step.

Stage 1 Find your level Know where you stand before you train. From $19 → Stage 2 KPOP training from home Build your dance, vocal, and audition skills online. $150/month → Stage 3 Get coached personally A Keens trainer helps correct your progress. $399/month → Stage 4 Train in Seoul Come to Korea for 14 days when you’re ready. From $1,000 →

Stage 1 · From $19

Find your level

Start with a Level Check.

Before you start, a KPOP trainer with years of experience tells you where you stand. Check whether you've got the potential to become a KPOP idol.

Most thorough

Expert Assessment $49

Submit dance and/or vocal video
Graded 0–10 by a Keens Seoul evaluator
Written notes + action items + K-TOP roadmap

Start $49 Assessment

Simpler · cheaper · faster

Idol Potential Test $19

No video required
Personalized report + Keens Seoul score
Country-specific agency guidebook

Start $19 Level Test

See sample report More info

ParentsBoth level tests are diagnostic reads, not audition purchases. They give your child realistic skill feedback and a next-step roadmap before you commit to training.

Stage 2 · From $150/mo

KPOP training from home

K-TOP Online Training

K-TOP (KPOP Training Online Program) provides structured online lessons across dance, vocal, expression, and stage — built from the Keens Seoul training system.

350+Structured lessons across dance, vocal, expression, stage
100+Page Audition Field Guide — what casting actually looks for
∞Practice Hall & Vocal Room — drill loops, range builders, warm-ups
★In-house audition visibility — normally reserved for trainees in Seoul

$150/mo · full K-TOP access · cancel anytime

New material added monthly · quarterly agency audition windows included

Get K-TOP — $150/mo

Stage 3 · $399/mo

Get coached personally

K-TOP 1:1 Coaching

A weekly feedback loop with a Keens trainer. Your trainer will look at your dance and vocal footage and send feedback notes and action items.

↺Video feedback every week — dance and vocal, from your Keens Seoul coach
0–10Monthly scored evaluation — the read Jae Shim used at SM
★Priority in-house audition visibility (entire subscription)

$399/mo · cancel anytime

See K-TOP 1:1 — $399/mo

Stage 4 · $5,060

Train in Seoul

Summer Intensive: 14 days in Keens Seoul.

Two weeks on the Keens Seoul training floor, taught directly by the Keens coaching team. Ends with a performance shoot on the Keens stage.

14Days at Keens Seoul, 5 min from SM HQ
10Full training days with the Keens coaching team
1Performance shoot on the Keens stage at the end of camp
★Past cohorts visited by SM casting

$5,060 total · $1,000 deposit reserves your spot, balance due 30 days before camp

Apply · Summer Intensive Seoul

The founder

Jae Shim.

For twenty years, Jae was Performance Director at SM Entertainment — the architect behind EXO's Growl, Girls' Generation's debut, Red Velvet's stagecraft, and aespa's first world tour.

He built Keens Academy to open the training system: for two decades, the standards behind K-pop's biggest acts were locked inside a handful of Seoul agencies. Now international students can access the curriculum, scoring rubric, and trainer feedback online — with no promise that payment equals an audition or debut.

Seulgi — Red Velvet — “Studying under Shim Jae-won was my dream.” — Seulgi, Red Velvet

aespa · Winter

aespa · Karina

Red Velvet · Irene

(G)I-DLE · Soyeon

TXT

RIIZE · Wonbin

The evaluators

Your footage. Their trained eyes.

Every Expert Assessment is reviewed by Keens Seoul trainers — ex-SM, HYBE, and JYP performance coaches who've trained aespa, RIIZE, and Big 4 trainees.

Yoon Hwan

RIIZE Performance Director
RIIZE choreography creator

Min-jung

BlackPink debut trainer
aespa world tour director

Jin Star

RIIZE trainer
NCT & Pentagon performance coach

Joo-hee

SM trainer
Queendom 2
Road to Kingship

Jae-in

SM trainer
aespa basics coach

Paperman

SM-affiliated
LOCK'N'LOL crew
Locking specialist

The courses

Not sure where to start?

← scroll to compare →

	Idol Potential Test $19 Start $19	Start here Expert Assessment ~~$79~~ $49 Start $49	Most popular K-TOP $150/mo Start $150/mo	Best for fast progress K-TOP 1:1 $399/mo Start $399/mo
No video required	✓	—	—	—
Trainer-written feedback	—	✓	—	✓
Keens Seoul 0–10 score	✓	✓	Monthly	Monthly
350+ training lessons	—	—	✓	✓
Agency audition access	—	—	✓	Priority
Weekly 1:1 coaching	—	—	—	✓
Country guidebook + roadmap	✓	✓	—	—

Start here Get your expert read

Expert Assessment

Submit dance and/or vocal video for a Keens Seoul evaluator to grade on the 0–10 rubric. Written notes, action items, and roadmap.

~~$79~~ $49 Save $30

Main starting product · 96-hour delivery

One private lesson costs more. This returns a trainer-written read on your actual footage.

No video required

Idol Potential Test

130+ page personalized report. Keens Seoul 0–10 score, agency casting guidebook for your country, and K-TOP roadmap.

$19

Seoul experience Train in Korea

Summer Intensive — Seoul

14 days in Seoul. Train on the Keens floor. End with a stage performance shoot.

$5,060

$1,000 deposit reserves your spot · balance 30 days before camp

Limited to 25 trainees per camp

Best for fast progress Personal feedback from trainers

K-TOP 1:1

K-TOP curriculum plus a Keens Seoul coach personally on you. Video feedback every week.

$399/mo

Only 30 coaching spots open per month

K-TOP

350+ lessons, Audition Field Guide, Practice Hall, Vocal Room, quarterly agency auditions.

$150/mo

Full K-TOP curriculum · cancel anytime

New material added monthly · quarterly agency audition windows included

Annual plan: $1,197/yr — save $603 · coming soon

Before you start

Common pushbacks.

The real objections — and the real answers.

No. The $19 Idol Potential Test is a diagnostic report and roadmap. It does not buy an audition, agency access, or a debut outcome. Audition visibility is merit-gated and depends on your score, training progress, fit, and partner audition windows.

Stage 1 is designed as a low-risk read before a family commits to training. You receive a concrete skill score, country-specific casting guidebook, and next-step roadmap. Students under 18 should review the report and any training purchase with a parent or guardian.

The $49 Expert Assessment is the main starting product: you submit dance and/or vocal video and receive trainer-written notes, action items, and a roadmap. The $19 Idol Potential Test is the cheaper no-video option with a 130+ page personalized report, Keens Seoul 0–10 score, country-specific agency guidebook, and K-TOP roadmap. If you want to inspect the deliverable first, use the “See sample report” link before checkout.

Most of our 15,000+ trainees train from outside Korea — the same curriculum, the same coaches, and the same evaluation rubric as trainees inside Seoul. Your country's casting landscape is included in the Stage 1 roadmap.

Because guessing costs more — years of unfocused training is the most expensive mistake aspiring trainees make. The $49 Expert Assessment gives you trainer-written notes on real footage. The $19 Idol Potential Test is the cheaper no-video read if you want to start lighter.

Refunds: K-TOP — 14-day window (under 10% watched); K-TOP 1:1 — cancel before next cycle; Summer Intensive — refundable to 60 days pre-start. IPT and EA reads are non-refundable once delivered.

Yes — Stage 1 exists so you don't land at K-TOP when 1:1 coaching or the Seoul Intensive is actually the right next step. If you already know K-TOP is the right floor for you, jump in.

A read of where you stand is worth it even if the answer is "not yet" — clear notes with a concrete roadmap are more useful than three more years of guessing. We'd rather you walk away clear than train blind.

Brought to you by Keens

#1 Academy in Seoul