K-POP’S UNSTOPPABLE FORCE: The International Idols Who Changed the Game Forever
- lewishooper1
- Sep 20
- 3 min read
The new mainstays. We're spotlighting the foreign talent crucial to K-pop's current success! Read on to find out more about your favorite foreign idols and their massive contributions to the Korean entertainment industry!
Non-Korean Idols in Popular K-Pop Groups
K-culture has been exploding in recent years, and with the rise in Hallyu, it has drawn talent outside of Korea.
Some of the biggest K-pop names are actually not even Korean; for instance, let's take BLACKPINK's Lisa, who is actually Thai. She has, in fact, become one of the most highly acclaimed idols within the K-pop and fashion industry worldwide. GOT7 is also another prime example, as Jackson Wang from Hong Kong has also been breaking boundaries within the K-pop industry in recent years.
BamBam from Thailand, and Mark Tuan, a Taiwanese American, are also in the group. Even the "Nation’s Girl Group" TWICE has four non-Korean members: Mina, Momo, and Sana from Japan, and Tzuyu from Taiwan. So why are non-Koreans taking over the K-pop music industry?
Jackson Wang, BamBam, and Mark Tuan of GOT7
Showcasing diverse origins, GOT7 members Jackson Wang, BamBam, and Mark Tuan, are all highly successful K-pop artists within their own right.
Jackson, a former fencer from Hong Kong, traded his athletic career for music. BamBam, hailing from Thailand, was inspired by K-pop idol Rain and moved to Korea at just 13. Mark, a Taiwanese American from Los Angeles, was discovered by chance and trained in martial arts before his debut. These low-key working-class backgrounds are most likely the reasons why these boys have a strong work ethic and drive to become successful!
Jun and The8 of SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN is also another example of a very successful K-pop band, which welcomes members from overseas. Jun and The8 are both Chinese-born members, and they have both followed their K-pop dreams.
Jun was previously a child actor and had a small amount of success in Hong Kong before he moved to Korea, thanks to. The8, who is from Liaoning, China, has also been known to take part in a mixture of Chinese variety shows before taking the plunge into K-pop.
This just goes to show how language barriers and chasing your dreams should not hold you back!
Lisa of BLACKPINK
The Dojeon team has covered BLACKPINK's Lisa countless times, so it would not feel right writing an article without mentioning her.
Originally from a small town in Thailand, Lisa was ambitious from a young age, and at the age of four, she started dancing thanks to her K-pop idols, like BIGBANG at the time. When she was thirteen, she outshone 4,000 other applicants to become YG Entertainment's first non-ethnic Korean trainee, and at the time, this was BIG NEWS!
Moving to South Korea in 2011, she trained for five years before debuting with BLACKPINK in 2016. Taking the name Lalisa for good luck, she quickly became a global star, celebrated for her powerful stage presence, multilingual abilities, and status as a pioneering Thai idol in K-pop.
Ningning of aespa
Another Chinese artist, although this time from Harbin, China, Ningning began her K-pop journey performing as a child singer on a Chinese TV show, where she was scouted by SM Entertainment. Talk about the changes!
She later joined the record label, and was put into a training team. A After completing four hard years of training, she debuted as the main vocalist of aespa in 2020. She is known for her powerful voice and strong stage presence.
Hanni of NewJeans
Heading to the land of "Down Under", Hanni Pham, otherwise known as Hanni was born to Vietnamese parents in Melbourne, Australia.
Hanni was quick to start her K-pop career, and she began her journey as a dancer in Aemina Dance Crew, although later in 2019, she moved to Seoul without knowing any Korean in order to train under ADOR. After a brief cameo in BTS’s “Permission to Dance” MV, she officially debuted in July 2022 as a member of NewJeans.
Final Thoughts
As K-pop has evolved from a national genre into a worldwide phenomenon, entertainment companies have actively recruited talent from across the globe to appeal to a wider audience. This strategy, seen in groups like BLACKPINK and GOT7, allows idols to connect with fans in their home countries through language and shared cultural backgrounds, and as a result allows K-pop and K-culture to continue to thrive.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, regardless of nationality, diverse artists and genres bring a unique style to K-pop, which helps it to go past borders and fuel Korea's entertainment industry for many more years to come.
Who is your favorite non-Korean K-pop artist? Drop a comment and let us know!