From being "Nation's Center" to K-pop's "It Girl," Jeon Somi and IVE Wonyoung always attract not only fans but also Korean media's attention. In an article, a reporter highlighted the reason why both idols are extremely popular among Koreans, and even to international fans.
On January 12, My Daily reporter Il Seop Song wrote a comparison article between Jeon Somi, a former I.O.1 member, and Wonyoung, who is a former member of IZ*ONE and currently promoting as IVE.
In the article, Song emphasized the activities of both idols, who continue their activities without missing their spot as "No. 1 Pick" even after their second act as idols.
Jeon Somi & IVE Wonyoung: From Joining Mnet's 'Produce' Series to Becoming 'Nation's Center'
In particular, the similarities between the two are where they started. Somi particularly made her name after joining Mnet's program, "Sixteen," in 2015 where TWICE members were selected.
Unfortunately, she didn't make it to the final cut.
However, this did not stop her from achieving her dream to debut as an idol and joined another Mnet program called, "Produce 101." After being selected by the whole nation as "No. 1 Pick," Jeon Somi then debuted as the center of I.O.I, earning the modifiers "Nation's Center" and "Nation's daughter."
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Similarly, Wonyoung also rose into the limelight after she joined the third installment of the same Mnet's program, hereinafter called, "Produce 48."
In 2018, Jang Wonyoung debuted as the center of IZ*ONE, and also gained the nickname "Nation's Grand Daughter" and "Nation's Center," joining idols such as Jeon Somi, SNSD Yoona, etc.
With Somi and Wonyoung's beauty and "all-rounder" skills, they immediately rose as two of the most in-demand stars, and they even both got a chance to pitch/throw the first ball for Korea's baseball game.
This is a significant indicator of an idols' popularity. In the past, top female stars were selected, such as Bae Suzy, Wonder Girls Yubin, SNSD Yuri, f(x) Krystal, TWICE Nayeon, and more.
Jeon Somi vs. Jang Wonyoung: Following Disbandment, Female Stars Selected Different Paths
As I.O.I and IZ*ONE were both project girl groups only, Jeon and Jang pursued different paths after parting ways with their co-members.
Wonyoung came back to being a Starship Entertainment trainee and re-debuted as IVE.
On Dec. 1, the six-member group was launched and along with former IZ*ONE Yujin, IVE has properly proved its global interest at home and abroad by achieving a high-speed No. 1 spot on music shows seven days after its debut.
The "ELEVEN" singers immediately emerged as "4th-Gen Icon, "sweeping the top 10 music streaming sites in Korea, MelOn, Genie Music, and Bugs Chart, the world's largest music streaming site Spotify's "Global Top 200" chart, China's largest music platform QQ Music new song chart, and 5th daily chart.
On top of that, Wonyoung made her name "4th-Gen It Girl," for her upgraded visual and image.
Contrary to Wonyoung, Jeon Somi, decided to pursue her career as a soloist. From JYP, she found her new nest in THE BLACK LABEL, a sub-label of YG Entertainment.
Last year, Somi strengthened her position as a top female solo singer in name and reality with her previous release, "DUMB DUMB," in August and first full-length album, "XOXO," in October.
Through this, Jeon Somi gained praise for introducing her own genre and concept, earning the nickname, K-pop's Girl Crush as well.
READ MORE: Jeon Somi Reveals Why She Left JYP Entertainment & Decided to Debut as Soloist
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Written by Eunice Dawson
