Meet The Teacher Who Made BLACKPINK The Dancers They Are Today

BLACKPINK is group that has a solid foundation in singing, acting, and of course, dancing. They trained hard for over half a decade to get the skills they have now.

One of the biggest reasons why they’re so good is because of their strict but loving teacher Kim Hee Jung. Born in 1979, she’s a dancer in YG Entertainment‘s famous dance group Crazy Girls.

Dubbed “Potato Teacher” by the trainees she taught, she was openly discussed on the fifth episode of 24/365 With BLACKPINK. “Potato Teacher” was apparently harsh on BLACKPINK when they were still trainees.

When I first started, I was so scared of her. You know how she was really harsh on us at first?

— Jennie

She wasn’t afraid to shout at her students and intimidate them into doing better.

She would be like, ‘Did you just call me a potato?! What? Why are you crying?’ And I would say, ‘I just want to do well.’

— Jennie

It was due to Kim Hee Jung’s strict teaching that BLACKPINK was able to improve quickly.

Now that I think about it, thanks to her teaching, we were able to improve so much in such a short period of time.

— Jennie

Jisoo agreed, saying, “Yeah, we were lucky to learn from her.” Kim Hee Jung not only taught BLACKPINK when they were trainees, she also constantly looks out for them after their debut. She visits them and watches over their choreography like a hawk in concert sets…

…and in music video shootings.

The BLACKPINK members were the last set of students she ever taught, and now she focuses more on dancing with Crazy Girls.

I’m so proud that I got to learn from her, because you know how we were her last students.

— Jisoo

They are now especially proud of having survived their harsh training period and they aren’t afraid to say so when facing new trainees.

Jennie: We’re like to other trainees, ‘You have no idea how tough she was’.

Rosé: Don’t say it’s tough when you haven’t even gone through Potato Teacher.

Now, Kim Hee Jung and the girls are good friends, and they often appear on her Instagram account _gamzza. From debut days to solo activities to concert performances, she’s their beloved teacher who always shows her support!

Check out the full conversation in the episode below!