The K-pop industry is open not only to aspiring idols in South Korea but also other countries around the world. In fact, many entertainment companies hold global auditions to find their next stars. These days, there has been an increase in foreign idols debuting in Korea. However, only a few groups have several foreign members.
Below are nine K-pop groups with three or more members who come from overseas countries (and aren't of Korean descent).
9 K-pop Groups With Three or More Foreign Members
GOT7
GOT7 is one of the well-known idol groups in the K-pop industry with multiple foreign members. They have one Chinese, one Thai, and one American.
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In particular, Jackson Wang comes from Hong Kong, while BamBam and Mark originally live in Thailand and Los Angeles, respectively. Mark is an American citizen of Taiwanese descent.
This trio is popularly called "AmeriThaiKong" among GOT7's fans.
TWICE
Another idol group that was produced by JYP Entertainment and has several members coming from foreign countries is TWICE. Of the nine members of the female act, three of them are Japanese and one is Taiwanese.
While Mina, Sana, Momo all come from Japan, and Tzuyu is the only TWICE member who come from Taiwan.
(G)I-DLE
(G)I-DLE is like GOT7 as it also have three foreign members who each come from an international country, specifically Thailand, China, and Taiwan (like "AmeriThaiKong"). Minnie is Thai, while Yuqi is Chinese, and Shuhua is Taiwanese.
NCT
NCT is probably the K-pop group with the most foreign members as the group currently has a total of 23 members. They currently have 11 foreign members, including two Japanese (Yuta and Shotaro), one Thai of Chinese descent (Ten), and one Taiwanese (YangYang).
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NCT also has seven Chinese members: Winwin, Chenle, Renjun, Kun, Xiaojun, Hendery, Lucas (half Thai).
Although Mark and Johnny are both born and raised outside of Korea, they are 100% ethnically Korean as their parents are Korean.
IZ*ONE
Another girl group on the list with three Japanese members is the disbanded girl group IZ*ONE. Miyawaki Sakura, Honda Hitomi, and Yabuki Nako all come from Japan and are part of AKB48 (but Sakura graduated from HKT48 this past May at her own request due to her debut under HYBE as a member of LE SSERAFIM).
Cosmic Girls
Next is Cosmic Girls, also known as WJSN. The female group has three Chinese members, namely Xuan Yi, Cheng Xiao, and Mei Qi.
The three of them, however, have been on hiatus from group activities since 2018, hence, many fans are speculating that they have left the band. But, their agency is yet to confirm this speculation.
TREASURE
YG Entertainment's rookie boy group TREASURE also has several foreign members who are all Japanese, and they are Mashiho, Asahi, and Haruto.
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Many fans mistakenly thought Yoshi was purely Japanese since he was born in Japan, but he is ethnically Korean.
Kep1er
The new project girl group Kep1er, which was formed through Mnet's "Girls Planet 999," consists of two Japanese members and one Chinese. In particular, both Sakamoto Mashiro and Ezaki Hikaru come from Japan while Shen Xiaoting comes from China.
UNIQ
Finally, UNIQ (an inactive boy group under Yuehua Entertainment) has three Chinese members, namely Yixuan, Yibo, and Wenhan. All three of them are currently active in their solo activities in their home country.
Do you know any other K-pop group with three or more foreign members?
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Written by Maria Scott
