MPI Modern Pilates is entering the U.S. market. In South Korea, Modern Pilates is an industry leader, playing a significant role behind the scenes in supporting K-pop and helping create the Korean Pilates boom.
The company has adapted, validated, and certified the Western exercise for the Asian body frame, gaining immense popularity in Southeast Asia, where K-pop enthusiasm is widespread. The new outpost for its expansion is in the U.S., led by Modern Pilates CEO Hang Jin Kim, who is a team doctor for Korean entertainment management giant JYP, working with idols such as 2PM and Got7.
Kim has also assisted top K-pop stars such as Blackpink’s Jennie and Jeon So Mi with fitness, injury prevention, body and weight management, and rehabilitation.
“K-pop artists prepare for their performances with martial arts and aqua aerobics, and there are many injuries,” Kim said, adding, “Modern Pilates and I have been in charge of their rehabilitation, fitness, and weight management for JYP, performances in Korea for SM, and actors.”
Modern Pilates has more than 150 global locations, including in Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and Korea, with over 450 professional instructors.
The 21-year-old leading business in the market has set itself distinctly apart in the Pilates industry. It has gone beyond the concept of exercise and taken responsibility for the well-being of Korean entertainment artists, including stress relief, respiration education, and mind care.
The driving force behind its growth as a wellness coach company is its innovative education programs. Modern Pilates was the first to launch a Pilates instructor training program in Korea. To date, more than 4,000 people have completed the program.
Course takers can find the right training for their level through various lessons and workshops.
After completing the main Pilates course, aspiring instructors can take specialized courses for prenatal and postnatal care, rehabilitation Pilates, and childhood scoliosis, as well as specialized certification programs in collaboration with Kyung Hee University Medical Center.
Along with the global K-pop craze, interest in K-Pilates, which is believed to be the foundation of K-artists’ wellness management, has also increased. It has been selected as a wellness program by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and is currently running programs for celebrities in the Philippines and Vietnam. This is why professional English-speaking instructors are in high demand. Kim and Modern Pilates look forward to becoming leaders in Korean health and beauty through English-speaking Pilates instructors.
As the company expands to the U.S. market, Modern Pilates is recruiting international trainees who wish to become wellness coaches.
The company will also offer specialized training courses for instructors by adding traditional exercise methods, anatomy and physiology, human mechanics, and postural medicine to Pilates.
The application deadline is August 31, with online classes starting in early September. In October, experts will come from Korea to teach the course in person. Students will be certified upon completing the online course.
“We are confident in our education system,” said Kim, “and I am sure that Modern Pilates will discover professional talents and make a leap to become a global brand.”
To register for the international instructor course, visit global.mpiedu.co.kr.
BY EUNYOUNG LEE, HOONSIK WOO [lee.eunyoung6@koreadaily.com]
