With K-Pop expanding all around the world, learning different languages has become a bigger priority for idol groups. CNBLUE touched their Japanese fans by showing off their fluent Japanese at their Yokohama Arena concert, but it wasn't without much effort. They've been learning the language since 2009 and receive lessons three to four times every week. Leader Yonghwa is now about as fluent� as Jonghyun, who has had previous experience living in Japan on his own. Idols are now expected to not only lead and perform at concerts overseas, but even sing in other languages with the advancements being made into the global market. Bigger labels will start the lessons early, with trainees being taught English, Japanese, and Chinese as basics. SM Entertainment even sends their trainees overseas to achieve a more in-depth level of fluency. BoA and SNSD's Sooyoung both studied in Japan prior to their debut, while Super Junior's Siwon and SNSD's Hyoyeon studied in China. The Wonder Girls also lived with an English instructor for a year during their stay in the States. Every day, they wrote diaries in English and memorized 500 vocabulary terms a week. Labelmate 2PM's Wooyoung is known for his Busan roots but showed potential in English through his intense studies for his KBS drama, 'Dream High'. He revealed that he had carried around his English textbooks and read it in the car while commuting. Nichkhun had once said, "One time, I was so tired because he kept asking me about all of these English phrases." B2ST's Dongwoon and Hyunseung revealed their unique way of picking up languages by going up to any person they hear speaking English and trying to strike up a conversation. KARA's Nicole learns Japanese by simply chatting with her instructor as much as possible while Seungyeon prefers to write her diary in Japanese and take vocabulary lessons. The majority of idol instructors are usually Korean gyopos (oversea Koreans). Agencies aren't especially picky with the instructors they choose because they have to follow the idols' imbalanced schedules. To minimize the risk of the weaknesses of their idols being exposed, agencies will usually hire someone through their own networks. Not a lot of foreign language teachers are up for such a high tension environment so agencies don't place a lot of emphasis on their educational backgrounds or past experience. The fee is revealed to be at a rate of $50 USD an hour. Idol instructors place the focus on their lessons on pronunciation and short, basic conversational phrases. There are also special lessons given to idols that are holding concerts overseas to further aid them in coming up with responses to various types of situations. Instructors revealed that idol stars are so used to having to 'show' themselves to the public that they are great at expressing themselves and pick up the languages fairly quickly. Still, like many other peers their age, they find it difficult to sit at the desk for long periods at a time. 4minute and B2ST's Japanese instructor, Kim Do Yeon, commented, "I try really hard to not make the lessons boring by focusing the lessons on topics they like and playing vocabulary bingo games." Source + Photos: Donga via Nate