When domestic K-pop sales became muted（低迷）, Korean labels decided to eye markets abroad（瞄准海外市场）.
With strong financial backing（支持）, they formed joint ventures with American companies and began to cast a wider net globally.
This de-Koreanization was presented as a natural progression（自然发展） - the "K" in K-pop once clearly implied its Korean origin,but to widen their appeal（扩大吸引力）, executives wanted to take the K out（把K拿掉）.
They opened academies worldwide where young hopefuls（追梦者） could train for a cool $6,500（仅需6500美元）.
The demanding program was tightly structured（结构严密）: 10 hours daily in military-style fatigues（军装）, learning perfectly choreographed moves until every detail was polished（精良的）.
Most remained wannabes, but a few would make the final cut.
Meanwhile, producers perfected the formula: every song needed a catchy hook and must shift from ballad to rap to electronica（电子乐）, maintaining ebullient（热情洋溢的） energy while giving each member their moment in the spotlight.
