There's no single "most loved" idol, as it varies by poll, region, and definition, but BTS's Jungkook and V (Kim Taehyung) frequently top global charts for male idols, with Jungkook often leading in "favorite artist" polls and V topping search trends and popularity rankings (like Forbes Korea) for consecutive weeks. For females, solo artist IU is a top contender, while Blackpink's Lisa is massively popular, holding records for social media followers and solo debut views.
BTS' Jungkook and IU, a singer and actress, have claimed the top spots on the most-favorite K-pop artist charts in both the male and female categories, according to a recent poll.
Holland is known as "the first openly gay K-pop idol". He is an only child. His parents found out about his sexuality after he discussed it in an interview.
Kim Taehyung V wins #1 place as the Most Popular Male Artists & Korean Idol on K-BOARD weekly poll Popularity Ranking of male artists & Korean idols for 145 consecutive weeks. BTS V ranks #1 with 59,561 votes for November 4-10. Congratulations Taehyung 💜🎉💜 #Taehyung #BTSV.
Kim Taehyung V is titled the #1 Most Handsome K- pop idol for 116 weeks in a row on Kboard K-pop idol Handsome General Election. BTS V ranks number #1 with 2,333 votes & 1st as Most Popular Korean Drama Actor with 2,664 votes.
Top 10 most handsome male K-pop idols according to Pann 1] #TAEYONG 2] #JIN 3] #CHAEUNWOO 4] #KIMJIWOONG 5] #WONBIN 6] #SHINYU 7] #SEHUN 8] #VERNON 9] #LEEHAN 10] #SUNGHOON.
The 7 Kings of K-pop: RM, Jin Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, JungKook 🐨🐹🐱🐿🐥🐻🐰💜🔮
While K-pop is generally a difficult industry for overt LGBTQ+ expression, pioneers like Holland (openly gay solo artist) and recent examples like Bain (of JUST B, who came out in 2025) are notable, alongside figures like Jiae (former WASUP, bisexual) and Harisu (pioneering transgender entertainer), showcasing increasing visibility despite societal challenges in South Korea. Many other idols show LGBTQ+ support or hint at fluidity, but these individuals are known for their public declarations.
The Big Three in K-pop refers to the three South Korean entertainment companies YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and SM Entertainment. These companies dominated the K-pop industry from the late 1990s to today.
The first winner was Park Ji-min, who chose to sign with JYP Entertainment.
Image: Photo: Instagram / @official_marykiko. K-POP star Hansol recently came out as asexual. Hansol, of the group ToppDogg, came out via an Instragram livestream, Gay Star News has reported. “I have been thinking a lot,” Hansol said.
Jungkook is very open in his support for the LGBTQ+ community - YouTube.
Yes, by most recent estimates (late 2024/2025), solo artist IU is considered richer than any individual member of BTS, with an estimated net worth around $40-45 million, often placing her as the wealthiest K-pop idol overall, even surpassing top BTS members like V and Jungkook. While BTS as a group is immensely wealthy, IU's solo success in music and acting has built her a substantial fortune, making her richer than the individual members of the group.
Jungkook of BTS has ranked first among male K-pop idols in YouTube searches for 2025.
Choi Seung-hyun (Korean: 최승현; born November 4, 1987), known professionally as T.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, musician, philanthropist and actor. He performed as an underground rapper before joining the record label YG Entertainment and debuted as the lead rapper of the boy band BigBang in 2006.
The industry is dominated by four major companies—SM, YG, JYP and Hybe.
The "intensely competitive" K-pop industry is worth an estimated £8 billion annually to the South Korean economy, said The Telegraph, and its stars have been "bound by contracts" that have “no dating” rules. They cannot get married without permission.
Joon Park made his K-pop debut in 1999—at age 30—as the charismatic leader and rapper of g.o.d (Groove Over Dose), one of the most influential groups in Korean music history. Fast forward to 2025, and he's still performing, now at the age of 55, making him the oldest currently active K-pop idol.
Most searched female kpop idols on Youtube South Korea in 2025:
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea officially recognized homosexuality as a normal sexual orientation, and a significant portion of the Korean public supports anti-discrimination laws to protect sexual minorities (Choo and Kang, 2021).
In Asia, co-ed groups are not as popular as girl groups and boy groups, and as a result, there are comparatively few groups of this style. In South Korea, mixed-gender groups were more common in the 1990s, with successful first-generation groups including Koyote, Roo'ra, Sharp, and Cool.
The No. 1 spot goes to SEVENTEEN and its 13 members, with consistent performance in the U.S., global and Korean markets. SEVENTEEN's decade-long career reached new heights this year, cementing its status as one of the most powerful K-pop groups.
BigBang (Korean: 빅뱅; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. The group consists of three members: G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in March 2019 and T.O.P left the group in May 2023.
The difference between the followers of these bands on social media is less than a million. However, BTS was in the music scene 3 years before BLACKPINK. So, it can be said that BLACKPINK has truly paced up and almost caught BTS in terms of BTS. Thus, it is impossible to say who is better as a K-pop music band.