Fans on an online community voting website selected which foreign K-pop idol is their favorite. This list contains idols who are foreigners and it does not contain idols who are ethnically Korean but were born outside of South Korea. However, this list does contain idols who are half-Korean.
1. BLACKPINK's Lisa
Lisa, whose full name is Lalisa Manoban, was born in Buriram, Thailand. She gained interest in K-pop during her school days, admiring artists such as BIGBANG and 2NE1. Coincidentally enough, when she arrives in South Korea in 2011 to train in the country, she debuted in the same country those two idol groups debuted in, YG Entertainment.
2. SEVENTEEN's Vernon
Vernon, whose full name is Vernon Choi, was born in New York, United States. He is half-Caucasian and half-Korean, born to an American mother and a Korean father. He was raised in New York until he was five years old until he and his family moved to South Korea.
3. NCT's Yuta
Yuta, whose full name is Nakamoto Yuta, was born in Osaka, Japan. As he hails from Osaka, he has earned many Osaka-centered nicknames, such as "Guardian of Takoyaki", "Osaka Prince", "Takoyaki Prince", and "Yakisoba Prince". He is NCT's first Japanese member.
4. NCT's Ten
Ten, whose full name is Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Ten is Thai and of Chinese descent, as he was born to a Thai-Chinese family. In 2010, he earned a chance to sign a contract with Starship Entertainment, but he reused. In 2013, he signed as a trainee under SM Entertainment and moved to South Korea that year.
5. NCT's Lucas
Lucas, whose full name is Wong Yukhei, was born in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. He was born to a Chinese father of Teochew ancestry and a Thai mother. He moved to South Korea in 2015 after passing SM Entertainment's global auditions in Hong Kong.
6. TXT's Huening Kai
Huening Kai, whose full name is Kai Kamal Huening, was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States. His father is American of German descent and his mother is half-Korean, making him half Caucasian and half Korean. Interestingly, Huening Kai's father was active as a singer in China and, like his son, has music on Spotify!
7. EXO's Lay
Lay, whose full name is Zhang Yixing, was born in Changsha, Hunan, China. Before pursuing a career in South Korea, Lay was active as a child actor. He auditioned for SM Entertainment in 2008 when he was sixteen years old and was accepted as a trainee. Now, he is active in both South Korea and China.
8. TWICE's Tzuyu
Tzuyu, whose full name is Chou Tzuyu, was born in East District, Tainan, Taiwan. In 2012, Tzuyu was scouted by JYP Entertainment talent scouts in a dance workshop and moved to South Korea that year to begin training.
9. TWICE's Mina
Mina, whose full name is Myoui Mina, was born in San Antonio, Texas, United States. She and her family moved to Japan. She was raised in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Up until 2019, Mina had dual citizenship in both Japan and the United States. She chose to give it up her American citizenship. Her full name while in America was Mina Sharon Myoui.
10. TWICE's Sana
Sana, whose full name is Minatozaki Sana, was born in Tennoji-ku, Osaka, Japan. Prior to being scouted by a JYP Entertainment employee in Osaka, Sana was training under EXPG with dreams of debuting as a singer in Japan. After being scouted, however, she moved to South Korea and began training in 2012, debuting with TWICE in 2015.
Who is your favorite foreign K-pop idol?
