179 Fun Facts About K-pop

Which social problem did H.O.T.'s 1996 debut single 'Warrior's Descendant' take aim at?

School bullying was the target: the rap rejects violence of every kind, and the debut album was titled 'We Hate All Kinds of Violence'. It went on to sell about 1.5 million copies.

Which Girls' Generation debut single did protesting Ewha Womans University students sing in 2016?

'Into the New World' (2007) was sung by Ewha students facing some 1,600 police at a 2016 sit-in, and it has been tied to South Korean protest culture ever since.

Which American star duets with BLACKPINK's Rosé on the 2024 hit 'APT.'?

Bruno Mars shares the vocals on 'APT.', whose chorus is built around the chant of a Korean drinking game: 'apateu', the Korean word for apartment.

Which rookie girl group reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023 with the viral hit 'Cupid'?

Fifty Fifty came from a small agency, but a sped-up 'Cupid' went viral on TikTok; the group entered the Hot 100 within four months of debuting and the song peaked at No. 17.

Backlash over Seo Taiji and Boys' 'Shidaeyugam' helped abolish what in South Korea in 1996?

Music pre-censorship ended in June 1996: when the ethics board demanded lyric changes to 'Shidaeyugam' in 1995, Seo Taiji released it as an instrumental in protest, and the fan backlash helped kill the review system.

Which 2022 album was the first by a K-pop girl group to top the Billboard 200?

'Born Pink' made BLACKPINK the first all-female group atop the Billboard 200 since Danity Kane in 2008; its single 'Shut Down' loops a violin sample from Paganini's 'La Campanella'.

In September 2018, BTS urged young people to love themselves in a speech at which organisation?

The United Nations invited BTS to help launch UNICEF's Generation Unlimited campaign; the six-minute speech in English was the first of three General Assembly appearances.

Fans of the girl group behind 'Kill This Love' and 'How You Like That' go by which name?

BLINK is a blend of 'black' and 'pink'; the group unveiled the fandom name in January 2017, five months after its debut.

Which song made its singers the first K-pop act on the Billboard Hot 100, in 2009?

'Nobody' entered the chart at No. 76 in 2009, after its singers re-recorded their Korean hit in English and spent the summer opening for the Jonas Brothers' tour.

At which US music festival did BLACKPINK become the first K-pop girl group to perform, in 2019?

Coachella booked BLACKPINK for both weekends in April 2019; four years later the group came back as headliners, the first Asian act to top the festival's bill.

Which second-generation K-pop boy group scored its first No. 1 hit with 'Lies' in 2007?

BIGBANG's G-Dragon wrote 'Lies' for his own solo album, but the label decided it suited the group better; it then topped Korea's Melon chart for six weeks.

Which girl group's 2019 debut video 'Dalla Dalla' drew a then-record 17 million views in a day?

ITZY set the 24-hour record for a K-pop debut video with 'Dalla Dalla'; 'dalla' is Korean for 'different', which is why the single album it led was called 'It'z Different'.

Who is the leader of BTS?

RM, born Kim Nam-joon, joined Big Hit in 2010 as a teenage underground rapper; he learned English largely by watching the sitcom 'Friends' with his mother.

Which single won Song of the Year at both the Mnet and Melon awards in 2015?

'Bang Bang Bang' came out of the 'Made' project, in which BIGBANG issued four single albums of two songs each during 2015 before gathering them on one album.

Which girl group had 2022 hits with 'Love Dive' and 'After Like'?

IVE built 'After Like' on a sample of Gloria Gaynor's disco classic 'I Will Survive', while 'Love Dive' finished 2022 as South Korea's best-performing single.

Which video did 'Gangnam Style' overtake in November 2012 to become YouTube's most-viewed?

Justin Bieber's 'Baby' had been YouTube's most-watched video since July 2010; 'Gangnam Style' passed it on 24 November 2012 and reached a billion views four weeks later.

In January 2023, BLACKPINK's 'Ddu-Du Ddu-Du' became the first K-pop group video to pass how many YouTube views?

'Ddu-Du Ddu-Du' passed two billion YouTube views in January 2023, the first video by a K-pop group to get there; its title imitates the sound of a gunshot.

Which of these EXO members left the group in 2014 after suing SM Entertainment?

Kris (Wu Yifan) filed suit against SM Entertainment in 2014 and left EXO; Luhan and Tao followed, leaving a nine-member lineup.

BTS debuted in June 2013 with which single album?

'2 Cool 4 Skool' peaked at only No. 5 on Korea's album chart, a modest start for a single album that has since sold more than 400,000 copies.

Which 2009 Super Junior single was the title track of the group's third studio album?

'Sorry, Sorry' reunited all of Super Junior after a spell of sub-group projects, and the album it fronted became 2009's best-selling Korean-language record in five Asian markets.

In 2014, 'Gangnam Style' was watched so many times that YouTube had to upgrade what?

Its view counter stored a 32-bit number, which tops out at 2,147,483,647; when 'Gangnam Style' passed that figure, YouTube moved to a 64-bit counter good for over nine quintillion.

EXO debuted in April 2012 with which single?

EXO's debut single 'Mama' was released on April 8, 2012 by both sub-units, EXO-K in Korean and EXO-M in Mandarin, after the pre-release tracks 'What Is Love' and 'History'.

In K-Pop terminology, what does the term 'maknae' refer to within a group?

The youngest member is the maknae, a Korean word for the baby of a family; the leader, by contrast, is often the oldest or most experienced member and speaks for the group.

Which 2NE1 single won Song of the Year at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards?

'I Am the Best' found a second life in 2014, when a Microsoft Surface advert sent it to the top of Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, a first for a Korean group.

Blackpink's debut single album Square One contained 'Whistle' and which other track?

'Boombayah' reached only No. 7 at home while 'Whistle' hit No. 1, yet it topped Billboard's World Digital Songs chart and became the first K-pop debut video to pass a billion views.

In K-Pop culture, what does the term 'aegyo' typically refer to?

A cute display of affection sums up aegyo: baby talk, pouts and playful gestures that K-pop idols of both sexes are expected to produce on demand.

Which member serves as the leader of the K-Pop boy group EXO?

Suho, whose stage name means 'guardian', was scouted on the street at 16 and was the first future EXO member to join the agency, six years before the group's debut.

Which NCT sub-unit was launched in 2016 as the group's Seoul-based team?

NCT 127 takes its number from Seoul's longitude, 127 degrees east; WayV is based in China and NCT U changes its line-up from song to song.

Which TWICE hit turned Sana's line 'shy shy shy' into a viral meme?

'Cheer Up' was South Korea's best-performing single of 2016 and won Song of the Year at both the Melon and Mnet awards, while celebrities queued up to imitate Sana's line.

Which EXO sub-unit made its debut in October 2016?

Exo-CBX is named for the initials of its members, Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin; the trio also launched in Japan the following May with the mini-album 'Girls'.

Which girl group's 'Up & Down' topped Korean charts in early 2015, months after release?

EXID's 'Up & Down' (August 2014) climbed to No. 1 on Korea's Gaon chart in January 2015 after a viral fan-filmed video of member Hani revived interest in it.

Blackpink's 2020 single 'Ice Cream' featured which American singer?

Selena Gomez sings on 'Ice Cream' and co-wrote it with, among others, Ariana Grande, who never appears on the track; it peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Which girl group's 'Tell Me' sparked a nationwide dance craze in Korea?

Wonder Girls' 'Tell Me' had choreography simple enough for anyone to copy, and in late 2007 clips of fans, celebrities and even a squad of policemen doing the dance flooded Korean video sites.

Which Mnet boy-group competition show did Stray Kids win in 2021?

'Kingdom: Legendary War' pitted six boy groups against each other over four rounds; Stray Kids' win in June 2021 earned them a reality show and a 'Kingdom Week' comeback special.

Which girl group released the 2012 hit 'Electric Shock'?

f(x) hid the title of 'Electric Shock' in its lyrics: the verses open with the syllables jeon, gi, chung and gyeok, which together spell the Korean for 'electric shock'.

Kangta, the first member recruited for H.O.T., was scouted at 13 in which South Korean theme park?

Lotte World, Seoul's indoor theme park, is where Kangta was spotted at 13; Lee Soo-man assembled the rest of H.O.T. after polling high-school students about their ideal idol group.

In April 2018, Red Velvet joined a South Korean troupe for a rare concert in which city?

Pyongyang's 'Spring Is Coming' concert had Red Velvet singing 'Bad Boy' for an audience that included Kim Jong-un; no K-pop idol group had performed in North Korea since 2003.

Which single led SEVENTEEN's 2015 debut EP '17 Carat'?

'Adore U' fronted '17 Carat', an EP whose five tracks the members wrote and co-produced themselves; Billboard ranked it among 2015's ten best K-pop albums.

EXO's 'Growl' (2013) promoted the repackage of which album, the first million-seller in twelve years?

'XOXO' passed a million copies after its 'Growl' repackage arrived, the first Korean album to do so since 2001; the 'Growl' video was shot to look like a single unbroken take.

Who is the leader of the K-Pop boy group Stray Kids?

Bang Chan spent seven years as a trainee, then picked the other members himself, named the group and designed its logo.

In K-pop, what does a 'comeback' usually mean?

A new release counts as a comeback in K-pop even if the act never went away: each single or album brings a fresh round of TV performances and promotion.

Which soloist, known for 'Good Day', teamed with SUGA of BTS on 'Eight'?

IU wrote 'Eight' as the confession of a 28-year-old, her age by Korean reckoning in 2020; Suga produced the track as well as rapping on it.

Which ITZY member was an eliminated contestant on JYP's 2015 survival show Sixteen?

Lee Chaeryeong reached the Sixteen finale but missed the final line-up; she and her sister Chaeyeon had both joined the agency after dancing on the talent show 'K-pop Star 3'.

Under its original concept, NCT Dream members were to 'graduate' from the unit when they reached what?

Members were to graduate on reaching the age of majority (Korean age 20): Mark did so at the end of 2018, but the rule was scrapped in 2020 and he rejoined, fixing the unit at seven.

Which Sixteen contestant, cut mid-series, did Park Jin-young personally add to TWICE?

Momo was eliminated partway through Sixteen, but Park Jin-young brought her back in the finale for her performance skills; Tzuyu joined the same night as the audience's pick, making nine.

Which 2023 release became the first K-pop album to pass six million copies sold?

FML by SEVENTEEN sold more than 4.5 million copies in its first week, and the IFPI's global report went on to name it the best-selling album of 2023 anywhere in the world.

Which rapper's 2020 hit 'Any Song' spread through a viral TikTok dance challenge?

Zico launched the 'Any Song' dance challenge himself on TikTok, and it took off as other Korean celebrities joined in; the single spent seven weeks at No. 1 in South Korea.

The K-Pop boy group ENHYPEN was formed through which Mnet reality survival show?

I-LAND ended in September 2020 with nine finalists; viewers' global rankings filled six of ENHYPEN's seven places, and the producers chose the seventh member themselves.

Which boy group, dubbed the 'Princes of K-pop', released 'Everybody' and 'View'?

SHINee's 'Ring Ding Dong' is so catchy that South Korean students have repeatedly voted it the song to avoid before their university entrance exams.

Which girl group released the 2011 hit 'Roly-Poly'?

T-ara's 'Roly-Poly' was South Korea's best-selling song of 2011, and its disco nostalgia spawned a stage musical the following year with three of the group's members in the cast.

What was the title of G-Dragon's 2009 debut solo album?

'Heartbreaker' drew a plagiarism complaint from Sony Music over its likeness to Flo Rida's 'Right Round'; months later Flo Rida himself appeared on a remix of the title track.

Which girl group unveiled its members one a month, each with a solo single, before debuting in 2018?

LOONA's Korean name means 'Girl of the Month': the agency revealed a new member with her own single roughly every month from October 2016, and the full group debuted in August 2018.

The phrase 'Gangnam Style' refers to what?

A wealthy Seoul district's lifestyle is the joke: Psy said people who are really from Gangnam never brag about it, so the song pokes fun at posers and wannabes who claim its style.

Which girl group released 'Alone' in 2012 and 'Touch My Body' in 2014?

Sistar made summer releases a trademark, following 'Touch My Body' with a 'summer special' album weeks later in 2014, and bowed out in 2017 with a farewell single, 'Lonely'.

Which Girls' Generation member has had a successful solo career with hits such as 'I' and 'Fine'?

Taeyeon made her solo debut in 2015 with 'I', eight years after Girls' Generation's first single; its video, shot around Auckland in New Zealand, casts her as a waitress breaking free.

The BTS fan club's name, ARMY, is an acronym for what?

'Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth' is the full name; the fandom is known for translating BTS's lyrics and posts into other languages and for matching the members' charitable donations.

Which girl group's 2009 hit 'Mister' popularised the hip-swinging 'butt dance'?

KARA's 'Mister', a follow-up single from their 2009 album 'Revolution', became a sensation for its 'butt dance' and was reissued as the group's Japanese debut single in 2010.

Which girl group, later known for 'NoNoNo' and 'Mr. Chu', debuted in 2011 with 'I Don't Know'?

Apink debuted in April 2011 with 'I Don't Know' and kept an innocent, girlish image while most rival girl groups went for sexier concepts; a first music-show win followed in January 2012.

Fans of which boy group, known for 'Missing You', are called Melody?

BtoB, short for 'Born to Beat', named its fan club Melody and billed its first solo concerts, staged in Seoul in 2014, as 'Hello Melody'.

In 2018, which EXO song became the first K-pop track played at the Dubai Fountain?

'Power', from EXO's 2017 repackage 'The Power of Music', was played at the Dubai Fountain in January 2018, the first K-pop song chosen for the Burj Khalifa Lake show; members flew in for the first showing.

Which Korean soloist's 2002 album 'Listen to My Heart' topped Japan's Oricon chart?

BoA was spotted by talent scouts at 11 when she tagged along to her older brother's audition; 'Listen to My Heart' later made her the first Korean artist with a No. 1 album on Oricon.

Which K-pop girl group pairs a dark, rock-driven sound with horror-themed concepts?

Dreamcatcher began in 2014 as the five-member group MINX, then relaunched in 2017 with two new members, a new name and a darker concept built on rock rather than mainstream pop.

Girls' Generation wore marine-inspired uniforms and shorts for which single?

'Genie' (2009) put the group in military-style uniforms and hot pants to show a more mature side, months after the coloured skinny jeans of 'Gee' had sold a brighter, more innocent image.

Which BTS member's 2023 solo single 'Like Crazy' topped the Billboard Hot 100?

Jimin's 'Like Crazy' entered at No. 1 in April 2023, a first for a Korean soloist, then fell to No. 45 a week later, at the time the biggest drop from the top in Hot 100 history.

Which girl group's 2018 hit 'Bboom Bboom' became a viral sensation?

MOMOLAND's 'Bboom Bboom' went viral in January 2018; days later the Russian trio Serebro accused it of copying their hit 'Mi Mi Mi', a charge producer Shinsadong Tiger denied.

Which SM boy group released 'Mirotic' in 2008?

TVXQ released 'Mirotic' in September 2008; Korea's youth-protection commission deemed the lyric 'I got you under my skin' harmful to minors, forcing a cleaned-up version for broadcast.

Which 2023 Jungkook single featuring Latto debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100?

Jungkook's 'Seven', featuring Latto, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2023; its title counts the seven days of the week he vows to spend with a lover.

Which boy group released 'Love Scenario' in January 2018?

iKON's 'Love Scenario' (January 2018) topped Korean charts for weeks, won Song of the Year at the 2018 Melon Music Awards, and became famous as a sing-along among schoolchildren.

Besides South Korea, Twice's line-up includes members from which two countries?

Japan and Taiwan: Momo, Sana and Mina are Japanese and Tzuyu is Taiwanese; Sana was scouted by a JYP employee at a shopping mall and auditioned the very next day.

Which song gave BTS their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Dynamite' entered the Hot 100 at number one in 2020, the first chart-topper for an all-South Korean act; BTS made it, their first single sung entirely in English, to give fans a lift during the pandemic.

BTS earned their first-ever Grammy nomination in which category?

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: the 2021 nomination made BTS the first K-pop act up for a Grammy, though the award went to a duet by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.

Which 2022 Psy single was produced by and featured Suga of BTS?

'That That' led 'Psy 9th', his first album in five years; Suga wrote the song and asked to produce it for Psy, then was drawn into rapping on it and appearing in the video.

Which girl group debuted under SM Entertainment in 1997 with 'I'm Your Girl'?

S.E.S. took its name from its members' initials: Sea, the English for Bada's stage name, Eugene and Shoo; the trio debuted under SM Entertainment in 1997 with 'I'm Your Girl'.

Aespa launched in November 2020 with which single?

Black Mamba is also the villain of Aespa's metaverse storyline, a threat to the members' virtual avatars.

NewJeans debuted under ADOR, a sub-label belonging to which company?

HYBE owns ADOR, where producer Min Hee-jin launched NewJeans in 2022; after a public feud with HYBE's executives, ADOR's board removed Min as chief executive in August 2024.

Which boy group debuted under SM Entertainment in 1998 with members including Eric and Andy?

Shinhwa debuted under SM Entertainment in March 1998 with 'Resolver'; the six members — Eric, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin and Andy — left SM together in 2003.

Stray Kids write and produce much of their own output through an in-house team called what?

3Racha is Bang Chan, Changbin and Han. The trio anchors Stray Kids' self-production, which is unusual for a major idol group.

The Korean term "hallyu" pairs the word for Korean with a word meaning what?

Flow or wave is the sense of ryu, which hallyu joins to han (Korean), hence 'Korean Wave' in English; the term's first known use in print was in a Beijing newspaper in 1999.

Which 2013 single was Psy's follow-up to 'Gangnam Style'?

'Gentleman' reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, but broadcaster KBS banned its video because it opens with Psy kicking a 'no parking' cone, which it called abusing public property.

Which 1999-debut boy group, produced by Park Jin-young, included Yoon Kye-sang and Kim Tae-woo?

g.o.d ('Groove Over Dose') debuted in January 1999 with Park Jin-young producing; a year later the five spent months raising a toddler on the reality show 'g.o.d's Baby Diaries'.

Which first-generation boy group, DSP's rival to H.O.T., reunited in 2016 and signed with YG?

Sechs Kies, DSP Media's 1997 answer to H.O.T., disbanded in 2000; after a 2016 reunion concert staged by an MBC variety show, they signed with YG Entertainment.

The name H.O.T. was an acronym for which phrase?

Highfive of Teenagers is glossed in Korean as the teenagers' victory, and the name is said letter by letter rather than as 'hot'; the group's 2018 reunion concerts were billed under the full phrase.

Seo Taiji and Boys debuted in 1992 with which song, whose title means 'I Know'?

'Nan Arayo' drew the lowest score from the judges when the trio played it on an MBC talent show in April 1992, then topped the charts for 17 weeks.

Which 2NE1 member made her solo debut with 'The Baddest Female' in 2013?

CL, 2NE1's leader, made her solo debut with 'The Baddest Female' in May 2013; five years later she performed it at the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Which band's 'One More Night' kept 'Gangnam Style' at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks?

Maroon 5's 'One More Night' kept 'Gangnam Style' at number two for seven straight weeks: Psy's hit led the sales chart but drew too little radio play to pass it.

Which Woollim boy group won its first music-show trophy with 'Be Mine' in 2011?

Infinite won its first music-show trophy with 'Be Mine' in September 2011; it was the first idol group from Woollim, until then a small label known for rock band Nell and hip-hop trio Epik High.

Which boy group, formed by Cube in 2009, re-formed under the name Highlight in 2017?

BEAST debuted under Cube Entertainment in October 2009; after leaving Cube, the members re-formed as Highlight in 2017 because Cube retained the BEAST trademark.

Lee Hyori rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of which girl group?

Fin.K.L, DSP's four-member group, made Lee Hyori a star, and she topped that alone: her 2003 solo debut '10 Minutes' won the grand prize at several of Korea's year-end music awards.

Which eight-member KQ Entertainment boy group debuted in 2018 with 'Treasure EP.1: All to Zero'?

ATEEZ trained under the name KQ Fellaz; within five months of their October 2018 debut they were playing a sold-out first tour of the United States and Europe.

Which former I.O.I member had solo hits with 'Roller Coaster' and 'Gotta Go'?

Chungha finished fourth on Produce 101 to join I.O.I; her 2019 hit 'Gotta Go' has a different title in Korean, 'Already Midnight', which explains the hurry.

Which YG boy group debuted in 2014 with the album '2014 S/S'?

WINNER debuted in August 2014 with the album '2014 S/S' after being formed as Team A on YG's survival show 'WIN: Who Is Next'; the losing Team B became iKON.

Which boy group, home to Thai-American singer Nichkhun, had 2009 hits with 'Again & Again' and 'Heartbeat'?

2PM found a second wind in 2020: stage clips of the 2015 single 'My House' went viral on YouTube, sending it back up the streaming charts while the group was on hiatus for military service.

Which BIGBANG member's 2014 solo single 'Eyes, Nose, Lips' won Song of the Year at MAMA?

Taeyang's 'Eyes, Nose, Lips' swept Korean charts and won Song of the Year at the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards; YG then had labelmates such as Akdong Musician release their own covers of it.

Which girl group wore helmets for its 2013 hit 'Bar Bar Bar'?

Crayon Pop's 'Bar Bar Bar' (June 2013) went viral on the strength of the quintet's helmets, tracksuits and bouncing 'straight-five engine' dance; the group later opened for Lady Gaga's 2014 ArtRave tour.

Which singer-actor, born Jung Ji-hoon, starred in the 2004 KBS drama 'Full House'?

Rain starred opposite Song Hye-kyo in 'Full House'; in 2007 he beat Stephen Colbert in Time's online poll, and the comedian answered with a parody video and a televised dance-off.

Which singer leads the vocal unit of SEVENTEEN?

Woozi leads SEVENTEEN's vocal unit and produces most of the group's music; Hoshi heads the performance unit and S.Coups the hip-hop unit as overall leader.

Fans of the JYP Entertainment girl group formed on the 2015 show Sixteen go by which name?

ONCE, announced shortly after TWICE's 2015 debut, comes from the promise that if fans love them once, the group will repay that love twice.

Which girl group's 2009 hit 'Abracadabra' popularised the 'arrogant dance'?

Brown Eyed Girls' 'Abracadabra' (July 2009) spread its hip-swaying 'arrogant dance' across Korea; the quartet of JeA, Miryo, Narsha and Ga-in had debuted in 2006 as a vocal group before turning to electro-pop.

Which boy group, formed in 2019, disbanded the next January after Mnet's vote-rigging scandal?

X1, formed on Produce X 101, debuted in August 2019 and was gone barely four months later: its agencies disbanded it after Mnet producers were found to have rigged the show's votes.

American producer Teddy Riley co-wrote which Girls' Generation title track?

'The Boys' (October 2011), co-written and produced by New Jack Swing pioneer Teddy Riley, was Girls' Generation's third album title track and was also released in English for a US push.

Which label did Psy launch after leaving YG Entertainment in 2018?

P Nation was announced by Psy in January 2019, eight months after he left YG Entertainment; that same month it signed its first artists, Jessi and then Hyuna.

Which singer joined Super Junior in 2006 as its thirteenth member, ending SM's plan to rotate the line-up?

Kyuhyun joined in May 2006; SM then abandoned its plan to rotate members in and out, and the group dropped the '05' from its original name, Super Junior 05.

Which BLACKPINK member was the first to go solo, with the 2018 single 'Solo'?

Jennie's 'Solo' topped Korea's Gaon Digital Chart in November 2018; she had unveiled it on stage at BLACKPINK's Seoul concerts just before the single was released.

Yeri joined Red Velvet as its fifth member in March 2015, alongside the release of which chart-topping first EP?

Ice Cream Cake introduced Yeri and both sides of the group's name: the bubbly title track stood for 'Red', and the smooth R&B single 'Automatic' for 'Velvet'.

Which EXO member's 2020 album 'Delight', led by 'Candy', sold over a million copies?

Baekhyun's 'Candy', the single that led 'Delight', compares the different sides of his charm to flavours of candy, cinnamon and mint among them.

2NE1's 2009 debut EP produced 'Fire' and which other hit single?

'I Don't Care' won Song of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards; the four had first been heard months earlier beside BIGBANG on 'Lollipop', a song made to advertise an LG phone.

Which SHINee member launched his solo career in 2014 with the EP 'Ace'?

Taemin joined the group at 14 billed as its dancer rather than a singer; six years later he overturned that with 'Ace', a record of his own.

Stray Kids' 2022 single 'Maniac' led which EP?

'Oddinary' blends 'odd' and 'ordinary', for the idea that everyone has something odd about them; in March 2022 it became Stray Kids' first album to top the Billboard 200.

Which Red Velvet member is the group's leader?

Irene has led Red Velvet since its 2014 launch; when she told fans in 2018 that she had read the feminist novel 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982', some male fans burned her photos.

Which K-pop girl group, known for powerful vocals, debuted in 2014 with 'Mr. Ambiguous'?

MAMAMOO debuted in June 2014 with 'Mr. Ambiguous'; its video was packed with cameos from established singers such as Baek Ji-young, K.Will and Wheesung, with Baek playing a stern senior in a prank.

In K-pop fan slang, what is the word for a fan's favourite member of a group?

Bias is the fan's favourite member; the fan is a 'stan', a word usually traced to Eminem's 2000 song 'Stan', about an obsessive admirer.

Which MAMAMOO member's first solo single, 'Twit' (2019), topped Korean charts?

Hwasa's first solo single 'Twit' topped Korea's Gaon Digital Chart in February 2019; months earlier her feast of gopchang, grilled beef intestines, on the show 'I Live Alone' had sent diners crowding into restaurants.

Which Lady Gaga album featured a K-pop girl group on the 2020 track 'Sour Candy'?

'Sour Candy' on 'Chromatica' came about because Lady Gaga asked BLACKPINK herself, saying she wanted to celebrate them; it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 33, the group's first top-40 hit there.

The Korean name of BTS, Bangtan Sonyeondan, literally translates to what?

Bulletproof Boy Scouts: J-Hope has said the name signifies blocking out the stereotypes, criticism and expectations aimed at young people like bullets.

Which K-pop group debuted with 'Crown' in 2019 as Big Hit's second boy group after BTS?

TXT, short for Tomorrow X Together, debuted in March 2019 with 'Crown', whose Korean title means 'One day, a horn grew from my head'; the band calls the horn a picture of adolescent growing pains.

Which BTS single spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021?

'Butter' (May 2021) logged ten non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, the most for any BTS song; 'Permission to Dance' briefly replaced it at the top.

Which eleven-member group was formed from the winners of Produce 101 Season 2?

Wanna One, the eleven winners of Mnet's Produce 101 Season 2, was built to end: its contract ran out on 31 December 2018, and the group bowed out with farewell concerts the next month.

Which Girls' Generation video won Video of the Year at the 2013 YouTube Music Awards?

'I Got a Boy' (January 2013) beat videos by Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Psy to Video of the Year at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards in November 2013.

Who is the leader of the boy group ATEEZ?

Hongjoong became his agency's first trainee after sending it a letter and a mixtape of his own, and went on to lead ATEEZ and co-write much of its music.

Red Velvet's Wendy moved from South Korea as a child to study in which country?

Canada: Wendy moved to Ontario as a schoolgirl, then attended a boarding school in Minnesota before passing SM Entertainment's global audition.

SHINee debuted in May 2008 with an EP fronted by which single?

'Replay' carries the Korean title 'Noona, You're So Pretty': five teenagers singing to an older woman, in bright outfits that students were soon copying on the street.

ENHYPEN debuted in November 2020 with which EP?

'Border: Day One' (November 2020) was ENHYPEN's debut EP; its single 'Given-Taken' asks whether the members' debut was handed to them or won by their own effort.

The K-pop survival show 'Produce 48' created which temporary girl group?

IZ*ONE came out of 'Produce 48', whose '48' marked a tie-up with Japan's AKB48: members of its sister groups competed beside Korean trainees for the twelve places.

Which boy group debuted under Starship Entertainment in 2015 with the EP 'Trespass'?

MONSTA X debuted in May 2015 with 'Trespass'; its members were the survivors of 'No.Mercy', a TV survival show Starship staged with Mnet to pick the line-up.

The 2021 K-pop hit 'Next Level' remakes a track from the soundtrack of which film?

aespa's 'Next Level' reworks A$ton Wyld's track from the 2019 'Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw' soundtrack; SM added a new jack swing bridge and lyrics that continue the story begun in the group's debut single.

Which TWICE single arrived in October 2016 with a video of the members in Halloween costumes?

'TT' (October 2016) takes its name from the crying emoticon, which the members mimic with their hands; the song topped Korea's Gaon Digital Chart.

Which girl group was formed on Mnet's 2021 survival show 'Girls Planet 999'?

Kep1er, the nine winners of Mnet's 2021 show 'Girls Planet 999', debuted in January 2022 with 'Wa Da Da' after COVID-19 cases among its staff and then two members forced a delay from December.

GOT7 debuted under JYP Entertainment in January 2014 with which EP?

'Got It?' (January 2014) was GOT7's debut EP; JYP launched the seven as a hip-hop group that worked martial arts tricking, a mix of flips and kicks, into its routines.

Which K-pop soloist, formerly of a girl group, is known for hit songs like 'Gashina' and 'Siren'?

Sunmi, a former member of the Wonder Girls, transitioned into a successful solo career with her unique blend of pop, retro, and sensual concepts, releasing hits like 'Gashina' in 2017 and 'Siren' in 2018.

Which song from KPop Demon Hunters was the first K-pop track to win both a Grammy and an Oscar?

Golden is sung by Huntrix, a fictional trio voiced by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. It topped the charts in more than 30 countries, including South Korea and the United States.

BLACKPINK rapper Lisa, the only one of 4,000 applicants to pass a 2010 audition, was born in which country?

Thailand's Buriram province is where Lisa was born Pranpriya Manobal. She moved to South Korea in 2011 as her label's first trainee who was not ethnically Korean.

Rosé and Bruno Mars built their 2024 hit 'APT.' around the chant from which kind of Korean pastime?

A drinking game called Apartment gives the song its title and its 'apateu' chant. Rosé taught it to her studio crew one night and, seeing them hooked on the chant, said they should make a song of it.

Which rock band shared a Billboard Hot 100 number one with BTS on the 2021 single 'My Universe'?

Coldplay and BTS made it the first song by two co-billed lead groups to top the chart. It was also the first by a British group to enter at number one.

The finger heart, a gesture K-pop idols spread worldwide, is made by crossing which two digits?

Thumb and forefinger cross as if snapping to form a tiny heart. Koreans in the 1990s knew the pose as the 'Timid V', and it now has an emoji of its own.

The boy group EXO, launched in 2012 as twin Korean and Mandarin units, takes its name from which word?

Exoplanet is the word behind the name, and the theme stuck. The group's first headlining tour was titled 'Exo from Exoplanet 1 – The Lost Planet'.

The virtual girl group K/DA, part-voiced by two members of (G)I-dle, was created to promote which video game?

League of Legends maker Riot Games unveiled K/DA at its 2018 world championship with an augmented-reality performance of 'Pop/Stars', then sold in-game skins of the four characters.

In 2018 Red Velvet became the first idol group in fifteen years to perform in which capital city?

Pyongyang hosted the group at an inter-Korean concert staged as part of a diplomatic thaw. South Korea's culture ministry later commended the members for taking part.

Which pop star recorded 'Kiss and Make Up' with BLACKPINK after two members attended her 2018 Seoul concert?

Dua Lipa had written it as a solo track but held it back from her debut album because she wanted a duet partner. BLACKPINK then went into the studio and put the lyrics into Korean.

Which girl group did Source Music launch in 2022 with the debut EP 'Fearless'?

Le Sserafim rearranges the letters of 'I'm fearless' and also nods to the seraphim, the six-winged heavenly beings. The group's first EP was duly titled 'Fearless'.

Which K-pop rapper, star of the war film 71: Into the Fire, played Thanos in the second season of Squid Game?

T.O.P played Thanos as a fallen rapper ruined by a crypto scam. His 2010 film debut had already won him Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Which K-pop idol took her first leading role opposite Jung Hae-in in the 2021 drama Snowdrop?

Jisoo played a university student who hides a bloodied stranger in her dormitory room. The part won her a Seoul International Drama Award for Outstanding Korean Actress.

Which TWICE member's 2022 debut EP made her the first South Korean soloist in the Billboard 200 top ten?

Nayeon reached number seven with a self-titled EP led by the single 'Pop!'. One of its seven tracks features a guest verse from the rapper Wonstein.

Which 4Minute member and 'Bubble Pop!' soloist dances in the subway car in the 'Gangnam Style' video?

Hyuna catches the singer's eye on the train, and she went on to release her own version of the song. The two performed it together at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong.

Which former Miss A singer was dubbed the 'Nation's First Love' after starring in the film Architecture 101?

Suzy had started out as an online shopping model, and joined a street-dance crew to show her parents she was serious about becoming an idol.

Which Sydney-born rapper in Stray Kids is noted for the strikingly deep voice heard on the group's tracks?

Felix makes a conscious effort to use that low register to full effect. In 2025 a bubble tea chain in Korea even put his voice into its self-service checkouts.

Which GOT7 rapper, the son of an Olympian, was a top-ranked junior sabre fencer before becoming a K-pop trainee?

Jackson Wang was ranked number one in junior sabre in Hong Kong and placed third at the 2010 Asian junior championships. His mother was a gymnast on China's national team.

Which K-pop idol, nicknamed the 'Face Genius' for his looks, led the dramas True Beauty and Gangnam Beauty?

Cha Eun-woo made his acting debut in the 2014 film My Brilliant Life, two years before he first took the stage as a singer with the boy group Astro.

Which Seattle-area b-boy turned idol singer founded the Korean hip-hop labels AOMG and H1ghr Music?

Jay Park was born in Edmonds, Washington, and joined the b-boy crew Art of Movement in 2003, years before he went to Seoul to train as an idol.

Which Unpretty Rapstar contestant became the leader of (G)I-dle and wrote most of the group's lead singles?

Soyeon first drew notice as a trainee on Produce 101 in 2016. She released a solo single in November 2017, six months before the group itself debuted.

Which girl group from the independent label Attrakt reached the UK top ten with the viral 2023 single 'Cupid'?

Fifty Fifty were the first K-pop girl group to enter the UK top ten, only months after debuting. 'Cupid' also climbed to number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Which girl group debuted in 2021 with 'Eleven' and topped Korean charts with 'Love Dive' and 'After Like'?

IVE chose a name meant to evoke the phrase 'I have', the idea being to show what the members have with confidence rather than tell a story of growth.

Which girl group won praise in 2015 for finishing 'Me Gustas Tu' despite repeated falls on a slippery stage?

GFriend kept dancing even though one member, Yuju, fell five times and twisted a finger. A fan's video of the performance went viral that September.

Which seven-member SM act, billed as 'the Avengers of K-pop', topped the Billboard 200 with its 2019 debut EP?

SuperM became the first Asian act to top that chart with a debut release. Its seven members were drawn from four of its agency's existing boy bands.

Which twelve-member girl group introduced its members one at a time through solo singles before its full debut?

Loona's label ran the project for 18 months from October 2016, handing each new member a solo single under the banner 'Girl of the Month'.

Which four-piece pop rock band has Sungjin on guitar, Young K on bass, Wonpil on keyboards and Dowoon on drums?

Day6 began as a six-member band before two departures, and its members are deeply involved in writing, composing and producing its songs.

Which girl group saw 'Rollin'' top the charts four years late, after a video of its army-base shows went viral?

Brave Girls went back to promoting the 2017 single in March 2021, weeks after a compilation of the group performing it for South Korean troops spread on YouTube.

Which co-ed quartet of two men and two women debuted under DSP Media in 2017 with the EP 'Hola Hola'?

Kard's two rappers, J.Seph and BM, had each trained for more than four years on an original plan to debut as a hip-hop duo.

Which Girls' Generation debut single became a protest anthem after Ewha Womans University students sang it in 2016?

Into the New World was sung by the students as they faced 1,600 police officers. It was then heard in public squares during the mass protests of 2016 and 2017.

Which 2021 release, promoted on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, was TWICE's first original English-language single?

The Feels entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 83. Before it, the group had put out English versions of Korean singles such as 'I Can't Stop Me' and 'More & More'.

BLACKPINK's 2022 single 'Shut Down' loops a violin sample from a concerto by which Italian composer?

Paganini wrote the theme, known as 'La Campanella', as the third movement of his second violin concerto. The song sets it over trap beats and lyrics dismissing the group's haters.

Which American band took Wonder Girls on the road as an opening act for 45 dates of its 2009 tour?

Jonas Brothers had the group booked for just 13 shows at first. The English version of 'Nobody' came out the day before the tour began.

Which producer, nicknamed 'Hitman', left JYP to found Big Hit Entertainment, the company that launched BTS?

Bang Si-hyuk earned the nickname as a hit-making composer and arranger in the early 2000s, writing alongside Park Jin-young before he set up on his own in 2005.

Which Busan-born singer finished first in the final vote of Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017?

Kang Daniel began as a b-boy after a teacher suggested he join a school dance club. As a teenager he won a Busan youth dance contest against a future member of BTS.

TVXQ's official Korean fan club, hundreds of thousands strong in the 2000s, is named after which constellation?

Cassiopeia was reported to have more than 800,000 official members by 2008. Some 120,000 of them later petitioned a Seoul court against their idols' long-term contracts.

Which 2020 single did Zico launch with a TikTok dance challenge that fellow Korean stars rushed to copy?

Any Song spent seven weeks at number one at home, then a record. Its hashtag challenge took off once other celebrities posted the easy-to-follow choreography.

Which rapper, a Stanford graduate in English literature, leads the hip-hop trio Epik High?

Tablo formed the trio with DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin after moving to South Korea, and later founded Highgrnd, an independent label that housed the band Hyukoh.

Which Denver-born singer of 'Heaven' recorded the Goblin soundtrack hit 'I Will Go to You Like the First Snow'?

Ailee's ballad was the most digitally successful song of 2017 in South Korea. Her debut single five years earlier had won her Best New Artist at four award shows.

Kim Jong-kook, later a fixture of the variety show Running Man, found fame in the 1990s singing in which duo?

Turbo paired him in 1995 with Kim Jung-nam, a former DJ. The act returned as a trio in 2015 after 15 years away.

The boy band NCT, announced by SM's founder in a 2016 presentation, has a name that stands for 'Neo Culture' what?

Technology completes the initialism. The founder used the talk to outline a boy group that would debut different teams based in cities and countries around the world.

Which term, built from the Korean words for 'private' and 'life', names an obsessive fan who stalks idols?

Sasaeng fans are a daily hazard for stars. Managers quoted in the Korean media estimate a popular celebrity may have 500 to 1,000 of them, with about 100 in pursuit every day.

On Korea's iChart, what is it called when a song tops every real-time, daily and weekly chart at once?

Perfect all-kill is the highest of three iChart feats. A plain all-kill needs only the real-time charts, and a certified one adds the daily charts.

Which SBS music show, known in English as The Music Trend, airs live on Sundays and names a weekly chart winner?

Inkigayo began in 1991 but was cancelled two years later when another chart show replaced it. It was revived in 1998 with its original title and format.

Which variety show, first aired in 2011, puts K-pop groups through its 'Random Play Dance' challenge?

Weekly Idol builds each episode around a segment called 'Idol of the Week'. One girl group was even made to dance to a shuffle of its own songs at double speed.

Which Korean-wave fan event, organised by CJ ENM, was first held in Southern California in 2012?

KCON was created by the K-pop news site Koreaboo. It reached Japan in 2015 and Mexico in 2017, and had spread to ten countries by 2022.

Which fan-community app was built by beNX, the digital-platform arm of the agency behind BTS, and opened in 2019?

Weverse had passed 10 million monthly users by 2023. Its makers first advertised it on the screens at a three-night stadium run in Seoul.

In which HBO series did BLACKPINK's Lisa make her 2025 acting debut, credited as Lalisa Manobal?

The White Lotus cast her as Mook in its third season. One of its executive producers then set up a Notting Hill-inspired romantic comedy film for her to star in.

Which 2022 BLACKPINK album was the first by a K-pop girl group to top the Billboard 200?

Born Pink was also the first album by any female group to lead that chart since Danity Kane in 2008. Reaching the top in Britain too earned the quartet two Guinness World Records.

South Korea's national Gaon Chart, launched in 2010 to mirror Billboard, was rebranded under which name in 2022?

Circle replaced a name that means 'middle' or 'centre' in Korean, chosen to suggest fairness and reliability. The Korea Music Content Association produces the chart.

The Kim Sisters, the first Korean group to succeed in America, performed over twenty times on which TV programme?

The Ed Sullivan Show first invited the trio during their 1959 run in a Las Vegas hotel revue. The sisters had waited nearly a year for visas to reach the United States.