Blackpink's Lisa, Exo’s Lay Zhang, Twice's Momo and 13 more K-pop stars that aren’t Korean – but from Japan, China, Thailand and more
Tzuyu, Mina, Momo and Sana from Twice, Mark, Jackson and BamBam from Got7, (G)I-dle’s Yuqi, Minnie and Shuhua … many of K-pop’s biggest boy bands and girl groups feature foreign-born idols from Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong – so who is from where again?
Korea's music industry has long been aggressive in finding talent overseas, scouting the best from the US, China, Japan and many more locations. As K-pop continues to dominate the world, more and more non-Korean members are slowly sharing in the hallyu spotlight, most often standing shoulder to shoulder with bandmates in border-strafing band line-ups.
Not convinced? Here are a few of those who’ve made their mark in Korea and the rest of the world.
Twice’s Tzuyu, Mina, Momo and Sana
Girl group Twice has four non-Korean members. Maknae Tzuyu is Taiwanese, while Mina, Momo and Sana are from Japan. As per Koreaboo, members Momo and Tzuyu were spotted by JYP agents through their YouTube dance videos, while Mina and Sana were scouted while shopping in Japan.
(G)I-dle’s Yuqi, Minnie and Shuhua