K-Pop is all the rage nowadays, especially as the South Korean craze slowly but surely migrates to the U.S. and Europe. We can credit some of K-Pop’s success in the West to BTS, the most famous all-male K-Pop group around. Once “Butter” had topped charts all across the United States, the entire Western civilization found themselves struck with a severe case K-Pop fever. And what could make these talented singer-songwriters and dancers even more irresistible? Their dashing good looks, of course.
It’s one thing to be a naturally gifted musician, but it’s an entirely different thing to be blessed with flawless beauty. When you combine talent with a chiseled jawline, you get an endearing K-Pop idol who’s certain to break hearts all across the globe. There’s much love for the ladies on the K-Pop scene, but you’ll never be able to go too far down an internet rabbit hole without finding adoring fans who fancy the pants off of these stars. And how could they not? They’re gorgeous!
Jin (BTS)
Kim Seok-jin, known mononymously as Jin, is the oldest member of BTS. But that’s not to say he isn’t incredibly handsome. He’s aged like fine wine as he enters his 30s, set to turn 31 this December. And you wouldn’t think he’s a day over 25. Interestingly, Jin originally wanted to be a journalist, but later decided to pursue acting. While in high school, Jin was scouted by SM Entertainment, but determined to have an acting career, he turned down the offer at the time.
At the time of Jin being scouted by Big Hit, he was a trained actor and had no background in music. He auditioned as an actor, before later becoming an idol trainee. In 2013, he debuted as one of the four vocalists for BTS. In October 2022, he made his official debut as a solo artist with the release of the single “The Astronaut.”
Ni-ki (ENHYPEN)
The only Japanese member of ENHYPEN, Ni-ki is the maknae (youngest member) of the group at 17. In June 2020, Ni-ki, along with trainees Sungchul, Seon, Jaeho, and Youngbin, was revealed as an I-LAND contestant via Twitter. He ranked 4th overall, thereby becoming a part of the official ENHYPEN lineup. Originally from Okayama, Japan, Ni-ki started dancing at just three years old, initially self-taught, and starting out by imitating Michael Jackson’s dances.
Ni-ki’s official nicknames (given by fans) are: ‘dance prodigy,’ ‘legendary maknae,’ ‘Nishimura-Manimura,’ ‘Jjang-gu’ and ‘mandu.’ In his younger years, Ni-ki was part of the SHINee KIDS when he was 11, and danced on stage with SHINee during their FIVE dome tour in Japan.
Lee (Stray Kids)
Born in Gimpo, South Korea, Lee is the main dancer of Stray Kids, as well as a vocalist and visual. In middle school, Lee expressed an interest in taking dance classes. He even participated in the dance competition “World of Dance” with a crew called “Cupcakes.” From 2016 to 2017, Lee was the backup dancer for BTS, during their Japan tour, featuring in “Fire” and “Spring Days.” It was in March 2018 that Lee debuted with the mini album I am NOT as the main dancer and sub vocalist of Stray Kids.
In December 2022, he participated in writing and composing his original solo song, called “Limbo,” for the album SKZ-REPLAY. Lee auditioned for JYP with the song “Thought of You” by John Park and thought he had failed when he didn’t hear back. Two years later, he was finally accepted as a trainee.
V (BTS)
Kim Tae-hyung, known professionally as V, is a singer for BTS. Since debuting with the group in 2013, V has released three solo songs under their name, “Stigma,” “Singularity,” and “Inner Child,” and released the self-composed song “Scenery” in 2019. Born in the Seo District of Daegu, V is the eldest of three children, and aspired to be a professional singer in elementary school. After passing an audition in Daegu, V became a trainee for Big Hit Entertainment.
Before the official debut of BTS, V’s existence was kept tightly under wraps as the “secret member” of the group. He made his acting debut with a supporting role in KBS2’s historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, then went on to appear in the television shows In the Soop: Friendcation and the Prime Video exclusive Jinny’s Kitchen.
Jungkook (BTS)
Jeon Jung-kook is the mankae of BTS, shortly awaiting his 26th birthday. Like V, Jungkook has performed three solo songs under the BTS brand — “Begin,” “Euphoria,” and “My Time” — and also featured on Charlie Puth’s single “Left and Right.” This year, Jungkook released his debut solo single “Seven” featuring Latto, which simultaneously debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, the Global 200, and the Global Excl. US charts.
Born in Busan, South Korea, Jungkook initially had dreams of becoming a badminton player, but after seeing G-Dragon perform “Heartbreaker” on television, it influenced him to want to become a singer. After seeing RM, the leader of BTS and his fellow bandmate, perform, Jungkook became a trainee under Big Hit Entertainment, which led to his joining BTS.
Cha (ASTRO)
Lee Dong-min, known simply as “Cha,” is a South Korean singer for the boy band ASTRO. Born in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, and majoring in performing acts, Cha debuted as an actor with a minor role in My Brilliant Life. Aside from hosting Show! Music Core, Cha has acted in the KBS2 drama Hit the Top, the web drama Top Management, and the historical drama Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung.
Cha is the brand ambassador for countless companies, these including Sketchers, Dior Beauty, Dunkin’ Philippines, and Subway. At the time of his rise in popularity, the media nicknamed him ‘Genius Face.’ Additionally, his bandmates nicknamed him “Morning Alarm” because he always wakes up earlier than everyone else and starts waking up the rest of the members.
Taemin (SHINee)
Singer, actor, and dancer Taemin debuted as a member of SHINee in 2008. Due to large numbers of idols citing him as inspiration, Taemin has since become known by media outlets as the “Idol’s Idol.” His first acting role was in the 2009 MBC comedy Tae-Hee, Hye-Kyo, Ji-Hyun. In 2014, Taemin debuted as a soloist with the release of his first EP, Ace, which peaked at number one on the South Korean Gaon Album Chart.
Then, he went on to make his solo debut in Japan in July 2016 with the release of his second EP, Sayonara Hitori. In 2017 and 2020, respectively, he released his second and third Korean studio albums, Move and Never Gonna Dance Again. At just age 14, Taemin was scouted by SM Entertainment and became a member of SHINee, which debuted on the music program Inkigayo on SBS (on which BTS’ Jungkook just won an award for “Seven.”)
Sehun (EXO)
Sehun is a jack-of-all-trades rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, model and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO, its sub-group EXO-K and sub-unit EXO-SC, collectively. Aside from his achievements as part of EXO, Sehun appeared in various television dramas and films such as Secret Queen Makers, Now, We Are Breaking Up, and Dokgo Rewind. He was scouted by SM Entertainment at 12 years old.
In 2012, Sehun was the fifth EXO member to be introduced to the public, then the group made its official debut with the EP Mama. From 2018 to 2021, Sehun was a fixed cast member on the Netflix original variety show Busted! as one of seven celebrity sleuths. As if his backstory weren’t impressive enough, Sehun became the second South Korean male idol after G-Dragon to be featured on the cover of Vogue Korea in 2018.
Hyunjin (Stray Kids)
Stray Kids’ main dancer, Hyunjin, was born in Seoul, South Korea. As a kid visiting Las Vegas, he used his English name Sam. Hyunjin was scouted for JYP Entertainment while on a shopping trip with his mother, so he joined without any experience at all and trained for two years. After participating on the survivial show Stray Kids, Hyunjin was announced to be debuting as a member of a boy group baring the same name. In 2018, he featured on the mini album I am NOT as the main dancer and lead rapper of Stray Kids.
Four years later, Hyunjin released the self composed song “ice.cream” as part of the SKZ-RECORD series. In July 2023, Hyunjin was announced to be the next brand ambassador for Versace. He went on a temporary hiatus from February 2021 to June 2023 as JYP investigated bulyying allegations made against Hyunjin.
Baekhyun (EXO)
Baekhyun is a singer, songwriter, and actor, born in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He is another member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO. In 2019, Baekhyun became a leader of the supergroup SuperM, which consists of Taemin from SHINee, Baekhyun and Kai from Exo, Taeyong and Mark from NCT 127, Ten from WayV, and Lucas, a former member of NCT and WayV. Looking to pursue a solo career, Baekhyun released his debut EP, City Lights, in 2019. It went on to become the best-selling album by a solo artist of the 2010s in South Korea.
City Lights was followed-up by two more EPs; Delight, which sold over a million copies, and Bambi. Baekhyun began training at 11 years old and received piano lessons from Kim Hyun-woo, member of South Korean rock band DickPunks. In June 2023, there were contract disputes that threatened Baekhyun’s leave from SM, but by the second week of the month, those issues had been resolved.
