NCT 127 leader Taeyong opened up about how competitive his trainee years were, revealing that he remembers seeing around 300 trainees come and go before he finally debuted.
On August 28, Taeyong appeared on the YouTube program Sul Bitneun Yoon Jumo alongside NCT 127, where the conversation turned to survival-style competition.
While discussing how waiting rooms tend to become bigger as artists gain more experience, host Yoon Jumo recalled her own time on Culinary Class Wars, where contestants gradually left the competition until she eventually had a waiting room to herself.
Taeyong responded by comparing that experience to his trainee days.
“We’re always in a position where we have to compete too, but I think an actual survival program must feel different,” he said before adding, “Although, when I was a trainee, it was always survival too.”
He then shared just how many people he remembers training alongside over the years.
“I roughly counted it, and I remember around 300 trainees passing through,” Taeyong said.
Surprised by the number, Yoon Jumo asked if he really meant there had been around 300 trainees during that period. She then joked that his experience helped explain why he tends to approach things more logically than emotionally.
Taeyong’s comments offered a rare look at the highly competitive environment he experienced before debuting, where trainees regularly competed for opportunities while facing uncertainty about whether they would make the final lineup.
Meanwhile, NCT 127 recently returned with Bling, released on August 24. The album entered the top 10 of the iTunes Top Albums chart in 26 regions worldwide shortly after its release.
