Written by Jack Herbert

Manufactured Korean super-idol

BoA (real name Kwon Boa) is the ultimate manufactured pop superstar.

She was recruited by Korean promotion giant SM Entertainment when she was 11, with the explicit intention of creating an internationally-recognisable Korean pop idol.

This painstaking process included intensive English and Japanese lessons (she's fluent in both) as well as the usual training in singing and dancing.

Now 19, she's one of the most popular artists in Asia, and will soon start her assault on the US market.