Choi Yoojung Opens Up About Diet Pill Side Effects During Trainee Years

Choi Yoojung has spoken candidly about a difficult part of her trainee years, recalling that she once took diet medication in secret while trying to meet weight expectations before debut.

According to OSEN, the former I.O.I member appeared in a July 4 video on comedian Park Semi’s YouTube channel, Annyeonghasemi, where the two shared a meal and discussed the physical pressures that can follow women in entertainment. The conversation turned personal when Park said she had taken diet pills in her twenties and remembered a frightening side effect.

Choi responded by saying she had also tried such medication in the past. She explained that, during her trainee period, she was told by her company to lose weight even though she considered herself to be at a normal weight. Feeling desperate, she said she took the medication without telling the company.

A Private Choice Made Under Public Pressure

The most striking part of Choi’s account was not simply that she took diet pills, but that she described the decision as something she did quietly while trying to satisfy an external demand. She recalled experiencing several side effects, including dry mouth, unpleasant breath, heart palpitations, nausea, and dizziness.

Park’s own story added context to the exchange. She said that when she was younger, the risks of diet medication were not discussed as openly as they are now, and that reduced appetite could be mistaken for a benefit rather than a warning sign. Her memory of feeling as if someone was watching or threatening her while she was in a hotel room underscored how alarming side effects can become when weight-loss methods are treated casually.

For K-pop fans, Choi’s comments touch a familiar but still uncomfortable subject: the gap between the polished image of idol life and the private strain that can exist behind it. Trainees often enter the system as teenagers or young adults, compete for limited debut opportunities, and live under close evaluation of singing, dancing, visuals, personality, and marketability. In that setting, weight can become a daily metric rather than a health issue.

Why The Conversation Resonates

Choi did not frame her remarks as an accusation against a named person or a detailed critique of one company system. Instead, her memory landed because it was specific, ordinary, and emotionally direct. She described being at a normal weight, still hearing that she had to slim down, and then trying to solve the problem on her own. That kind of story is easy for many viewers to understand, even outside the idol world.

The exchange also reflects how public conversations about body image in Korean entertainment have changed. Fans are now quicker to question extreme dieting, sudden weight changes, and harsh commentary about idols’ bodies. At the same time, the entertainment business still rewards a narrow range of visual standards, leaving artists to navigate contradictory expectations: look healthy, look camera-ready, do not appear strained, and do not talk too much about the cost.

Choi’s account is especially notable because she is not speaking as an outsider looking back at an unfamiliar industry. As a former project group member from I.O.I and a performer who has lived through the idol training process, her comments carry the weight of experience. She described the side effects plainly, without turning the moment into spectacle, which made the discussion feel less like gossip and more like a warning about pressure that can become normalized.

There is also a broader responsibility question for agencies, production teams, and entertainment media. If trainees are told to lose weight while still developing physically and professionally, the support around those instructions matters. Clear medical guidance, realistic health standards, and room for artists to question harmful demands are not luxuries. They are basic safeguards in a field where young performers may feel that every evaluation could decide their future.

A Small Disclosure With A Larger Message

The video moment has drawn attention because it connects one celebrity’s memory to a larger debate over how idols are shaped before the public ever meets them. Choi’s story does not provide every detail of her trainee years, and it should not be stretched beyond what she said. But the facts she did share are enough to show how quickly ambition and pressure can push someone toward risky choices.

For viewers, the takeaway is not only that diet medication can carry serious side effects. It is also that entertainment systems can make risky behavior feel reasonable when appearance is treated as a condition for success. Choi Yoojung’s remarks are a reminder that behind every polished stage image is a person who may have had to absorb far more pressure than audiences ever see.