It is no surprise that Korean idols dominate K-pop. However, as K-pop has become more global, the industry is diversifying and has its fair share of non-Koreans. Among the 645 people in the top 100 idol groups based on brand reputation, 10.2% are not Korean, a disproportionately high number compared to South Korea’s 99% ethnic Korean population.
Not Korean, but Still Asian
Most non-Korean idols are still Asian, and almost all are still East Asian. Most foreign idols come from Japan (4.2%). Girl group TWICE and boy group TREASURE are some of the most popular groups with several Japanese members – three and four, respectively.
China is the second-most common home to foreign K-pop idols (3.2%), with Taiwan (1.4%) and Thailand (0.9%) following not too far behind. Girl group TRI.BE has the most members from Taiwan, although only two. Boy group NCT has the most Chinese members, with 7 of the 23 members from China; they even created a subunit with five Chinese members and their Taiwanese and Thai members.
While the vast majority of K-pop groups have more Korean than non-Korean members, there are a few where the opposite is true. Of (G)I-DLE’s five members, only two are Korean; the other three come from China, Thailand, and Taiwan.
Biracial Idols
Multiracial idols are rare, accounting for less than 1% of idols. Some of the most famous are Huening Kai of TXT and Huening Bahiyyih of Kep1er, siblings born to a white American father and a Korean mother. Other well-known biracial idols include SEVENTEEN’s Vernon, MOMOLAND’s Nancy, and soloists Jeon Somi and AleXa.
All of the previously mentioned idols are half white and half Korean. It is rare to find biracial idols who are any other mix. Some exceptions are cignature’s Belle, who is half Korean and half Filipina, and soloist Samuel, who is half Korean and half Mexican.
This lack of representation is attributed to the racism and colorism that exists in South Korea against Black people and other people of color, especially those with darker skin.
Although technically not idols, singers Yoon Mirae and Lee Michelle, both of whom are half Korean and half Black, have opened up about discrimination they have faced for their race and skin tone in the Korean entertainment industry and in South Korea in general. Yoon Mirae’s “Black Happiness” and Lee Michelle’s “Without You” focus on their experiences as Blasian people in South Korea.
The lack of people who are Black or mixed with Black in K-pop is ironic considering the immense influence Black culture has had on the K-pop music industry.
Non-Asians in K-pop
Even more rare than biracial idols are non-Asian K-pop idols. In 2015, half-Black and half-white American Alex Reid debuted in the K-pop girl group RaNia. Although she left the group in 2017, she made history as the first Black K-pop idol (even though she is technically biracial).
RaNia disbanded and rebranded in 2020 under the name BLACKSWAN with some lineup changes. One of the new members, Fatou Samba, is from Senegal and has made history as the first African K-pop idol. Earlier this year, the group announced the addition of two new members: Sriya, who is Indian, and Gabi, who is Brazilian and Dutch. Following the recent departure of the only two Koreans in the group, BLACKSWAN currently only contains foreign members.
Gabi will be one of the only fully white idols to ever be in the K-pop industry. The first was Sophia, a Russian-Israeli who debuted in O My Jewel in 2017. However, the group lasted only five months before disbanding.
What Makes a Group K-pop?
Columbia University student Bora Kim formed EXP Edition, a K-pop group that debuted with all white members except for one who is half-Japanese. Kim created them as an experiment to see if a group without any Korean members could still be considered K-pop as long as they still sang in Korean. The members trained in singing and dancing (although not under a traditional Korean idol company) and have appeared on Korean variety shows and music programs, just like regular K-pop idols do.
Cases like EXP Edition, which got backlash for not being K-pop, raise questions about what makes a group K-pop. If non-Korean, yet still Asian, people singing in Korean is considered K-pop, should the same be true for non-Asian people who sing in Korean?
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