For anyone remotely interested in K-pop, there is a simple question that begs an answer as K-pop continues to expand: Which K-pop artists are the most popular in various countries around the world?

The survey conducted by M-Wave posed that exact question to 73,809 individuals around the globe from April 4 through April 21. Twenty artists who actively performed in the first quarter of 2013 were listed as choices to select from. The number one place went to INFINITE H, which garnered 41.4% of total votes. Girls' Generation took 17.3% of the votes and came it at the second spot, followed by SHINee who received 13.1% of the votes.

According to the survey results, INFINITE H was widely popular in Taiwan, China and Thailand, whereas Girls' Generation proved to be at the top in many South American countries. In European countries such as Spain, Russia and Italy, SHINee had the upper hand. The different levels of popularity are a combination of factors ranging from cultural affinity to past promotional tours and activities by certain artists.

Back in 2011, SHINee successfully pulled off a flashmob of "Ring Ding Dong" in Red Square of Moscow. In contrast to generally tight-lipped, tough Russian men, SHINee provides a soft and romantic touch that the female population often lacks in their personal relationships or media personalities.

The country with the greatest number of participants was Taiwan, followed by Poland, United States, China, Thailand and Hong Kong.