Lotte Department Store to nurture future K-pop stars

Child stars managed by Kiana Entertainment / Courtesy of Lotte Department Store

By Jun Ji-hye

Lotte Department Store is set to launch a new project to nurture future K-pop and TV stars in cooperation with Kiana Entertainment in a bid to generate new revenue streams in a growing market targeting parents of aspiring child stars, the department store said Tuesday.

Kiana Entertainment is a Seoul-based talent agency specializing in the management of child stars.

The department store said it will open Kiana Dance Studio by Lotte at its Ilsan branch in Gyeonggi Province, Friday, and will operate it jointly with Kiana Entertainment.

The 231-square-meter studio will offer various programs ranging from acting and dancing lessons to camera tests.

The new project comes at a time when an increasing number of children are dreaming of becoming K-pop stars or entertainers, which is leading to the growth of the entertainment business and market targeting children, the department store said.

It said dancing lessons, which are expected to be the most popular, will be comprised of five classes including those for hip-hop.

Those aged between four and 19 can enroll in classes, with monthly tuition fees ranging from 200,000 won ($176) to 300,000 won.

The department store is also planning to host a child modeling competition on April 20 to celebrate the opening of Kiana Dance Studio by Lotte.

“We're taking a new direction through cooperation with an entertainment agency specializing in the management of child stars in order to seize upon the growing market targeting children,” said Lee Jong-seong who heads Lotte Department Store's Ilsan branch. “As it is meaningful in that we have become the first in the industry to launch such a project, we expect customers to respond positively.”

The department store has made consistent efforts to enhance its presence in the market targeting children since October 2017 when it opened a library for children in its Busan branch. In September last year, it opened a large-scale theme park for children in its Guri branch.