23 Korean celebrities with unofficial “titles” and what they mean

Lee Ji-eun debuted in 2008 at 15 years old under her stage name, IU, which means “I and You become one through music”.

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Earlier in her career, she made waves with her cute bops Nagging, a duet with 2AM’s Lim Seul-ong, and Good Day, which reflected her “girl next door” image and to effect, earned her the nickname, “The Nation’s Little Sister”.

American-born Korean singer-songwriter and TV personality Eric Nam captured the hearts of South Korean fans with his likeable persona.

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His talents, charm, and intelligence made him one of the country's biggest K-pop stars while his caring nature and impeccable manners gave him the nickname, “The Nation’s Boyfriend”.

Multifaceted Blackpink member Jennie is not only known for her musical versatility but she’s also known for being very fashion-focused.

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She has been dubbed the “Human Chanel” due to her devotion to all things Chanel and her long-time engagement with the luxury brand as a global ambassador and muse. Fellow Blackpink member Jisoo also calls her “Jendeukie”, a play on the Korean word jjindeuk, which means clingy, due to their tight-knit relationship.

South Korean singer, actor, and entertainer Lee Seung-gi is known for many things–releasing numerous hit ballads, being a member of the reality variety show 1 Night 2 Days, starring in leading roles in popular K-dramas, and hosting talk battle broadcast Strong Heart.

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Due to his enormous popularity, clean appearance, and wholesome and positive image, South Koreans gave him the title, “The Nation’s Son-in-Law”.

There are a handful of Hallyu actresses who have been given the title “The Nation’s First Love” but one of the very first celebrities to earn it was Gianna Jun (Jun Ji-hyun).

Read more: Jun Ji-hyun is posh and polished in her first Burberry campaign

Due to the immense success of 2001’s rom-com film My Sassy Girl, which jump-started her career and catapulted her popularity to new heights, Jun became the national crush (hence the title) and an Asian sensation.

You may remember him as IU’s co-star in 2019’s Hotel del Luna but Yeo Jin-goo actually began his career as a child actor. At eight years old, he debuted in 2005’s Sad Movie and captured the hearts of audiences with his impressive acting skills for his age, earning him the title, “The Nation’s Little Brother”.

See also: Rising stars: The 11 new faces of Korean cinema

He also played several younger characters in the lead roles in films and K-dramas such as 2008’s A Frozen Flower (as the younger version of Zo In-sung’s character, Hong-rim) and 2013’s Moon Embracing the Sun (as the younger version of Kim Soo-hyun’s character, Lee Hwon).

Australian-born South Korean actress Kim So-hyun began her career as a child in 2006, starring in 2012’s Moon Embracing the Sun (as the younger version of Kim Min-seo’s character, Lady Yoon Bo-kyung).

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Despite her young age, her continuous participation in acclaimed sageuk (historical K-drama) projects, such as 2017’s The Emperor: Owner of the Mask, 2019’s The Tale of Nokdu, and 2021’s River Where the Moon Rises made her the “Queen of Child Actresses” and the “Sageuk Goddess” in the audiences’ eyes.

Lee Min-ho, an OG Hallyu star, has come a long way. He made his mark in the Korean entertainment circuit when he starred in 2009’s Boys Over Flowers, through which he achieved global fame, before taking on lead roles in 2010’s Personal Taste and 2012’s Faith.

Read more: Fendi welcomes Lee Min-ho as its new Korean brand ambassador

The one similarity in all three K-dramas is that he was acting alongside lead actresses that he was younger than them. Lee’s ability to pull off great onscreen chemistry with older actresses earned him the title, “Chemi-Shin”, a Korean compound word for chemistry and God.

There are child actresses, and then there’s Kim Yoo-jung. She debuted as a model for a confectionary brand at only four years old and quickly became one of the most in-demand child actresses. By the time she turned 11, she had already appeared in 13 K-dramas and 15 movies.

See also: The best K-dramas to watch according to your personality

Kim gained attention for starring in various K-dramas such as 2010’s Dong Yi, 2012’s Moon Embracing the Sun, 2012’s May Queen, 2014’s Secret Door, 2016’s Love in the Moonlight, and 2021’s Lovers of the Red Sky. Her recurring “theme” of taking on sageuk roles cemented her reputation as the “Sageuk Fairy”.

BTS’ RM (Kim Nam-joon) is fascinatingly talented. He has an IQ score of 148 (a score of 100 is considered the average IQ), taught himself English and speaks it well, writes and produces music, sings, raps, dances, and leads the biggest K-pop boy group in the world.

Don’t miss: Beyond K-pop: How BTS’ RM has become a trust voice in South Korea’s indie music and art scenes

But he’s also fascinatingly clumsy. Known as the “God of Destruction”, RM has broken glasses, the floor, toys, and filming equipment; hit and injured himself while dancing; accidentally ripped stage outfits while performing; almost burned his members while having Korean BBQ; the list goes on.

Popular for her beauty and acting endeavours, Kim Tae-hee is one of the most sought-after faces in the industry. Her portfolio includes roles in 2003’s Stairway to Heaven, 2004’s Love Story in Harvard, 2009’s Iris, 2011’s My Princess, 2015’s Yong-pal, and 2020’s Hi Bye, Mama! But her appeal is not only skin deep–Kim also graduated from Seoul National University, one of the three most prestigious and academically competitive universities in Seoul.

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Her intelligence, coupled with her beauty and multiple award-winning acting chops, has earned her the title, “The perfect daughter of your mother” by the South Korean public as she seems to have it all.

Jung Ji-hoon, known professionally as Rain and an idol to many K-pop idols, boasts an incredible musical career spanning over two and a half decades. With seven albums, 28 singles, and numerous regional and international concert tours under his belt, it’s no surprise that he’s hailed as one of the most successful solo artists in South Korea.

See also: Exclusive: Rain on dim sum, wellness and what he loves about Hong Kong

Hilariously, he’s also hailed as “The Nation’s Thief” for stealing the heart of and marrying Kim Tae-hee. The “Korean golden couple” started dating in 2013 before tying the knot in 2017. Together, they have two daughters, born in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

As a member of Girls’ Generation (otherwise known as SNSD) its second sub-unit Oh!GG, Yuri is known as one of the main dancers and lead rappers. Together with the “dance line” of Girls’ Generation (Hyoyeon, Yoona, Sooyoung), she exudes charisma on stage with power in her moves, owing to her athletic build.

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When off stage, Yuri steals the show with her dorky and funny personality, inciting laughter from the cast, crew, and audiences, especially on variety shows such as Invincible Youth, Knowing Bros, and Amazing Saturday. Korean mothers found her persona endearing, referring to her as “The Nation’s Daughter-in-Law”.

When baby-faced actor Park Bo-gum starred as the genius Go-player Choi Taek in 2015’s highest-rated K-drama Reply 1988, it catapulted him to fame and made him known as an emerging Korean Wave star.

Read more: 5 Park Bo-gum movies and shows to binge-watch

The following year, he starred in coming-of-age sageuk Love in the Moonlight alongside Kim Yoo-jung as Crown Prince Lee Yeong. It became a domestic and international hit and its immense popularity was called “Moonlight Syndrome”. On account of his emotive acting and his princely good looks in the series, he was then declared “The Nation’s Crown Prince”.

Bae Suzy has beauty, fame, and the love of a nation. She was first introduced to the Korean entertainment industry as a member of JYP Entertainment’s miss A. During her time with the group, she also explored hosting and acting, which eventually made her a star in her own right.

See also: Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy to reunite in ‘All the Love You Wish For’ after 7 years

In the earlier days of her acting career, she embodied the cute, girl-next-door image through her roles in K-dramas such as 2016’s Uncontrollably Fond, 2017’s While You Were Sleeping, and 2020’s Start-Up. These cemented her title as “The Nation’s Sweetheart”, which still sticks today.

SHINee's leader dancer Taemin has been hailed as a K-pop dance force to be reckoned with, thanks to his electrifying dance performances and stage presence. He expresses emotions not just through his powerful vocals but also his movements which tackle complicated choreography with ease. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that his “Magic Hands” title has nothing to do with his performances.

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The idol earned the title due to his propensity to lose or break things or subject his members to becoming collateral damage. He’s so good at losing things that he once lost his AirPods twice in a day. “I lost them, bought a new pair, and then lost that one,” he revealed on Girl’s Day Hyeri’s Hyeel’s Club. Not forgetting, he also flooded a stage that SHINee was performing on, causing his members to slip and slide.

He may have the moves, but Taemin will forever be SHINee’s “Magic Hands” maknae (youngest member).

Having debuted in 2007, Girls’ Generation is one of the longest-surviving girl groups in South Korea, second only to Brown Eyed Girls. The group has been described as the epitome of a legendary girl group which revolutionised girl group culture and is credited as the group that shifted the public’s focus back to female idols, cutting through the influx of male idol groups from 2002 to 2007

Read more: Girls’ Generation: How rich are the members of the K-pop girl group?

The group has been likened to the Spice Girls and the musical equivalent of Samsung’s global trend. One of the most successful K-pop groups that stood the test of time, Girls’ Generation has earned the honorific title, “The Nation’s Girl Group”.

Affectionately known as “Girin” (Korean for giraffe) to Koreans thanks to his height (standing at 190cm tall, he towers over almost all other Korean celebrities), Lee Kwang-soo started his career in 2007 as a model. After debuting as an actor and landing a few acting gigs, he joined the hilarious reality-variety game show Running Man in 2010.

See also: Cross-cultural success: Korean variety shows adapted by other Asian countries

Running Man became so immensely popular beyond its home ground, that it has been fansubbed into various languages including English, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malay, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Russian. Due to the show’s popularity, Lee’s recognition grew as well and he quickly gained a large number of overseas fans, gaining the nickname “Prince of Asia”.

The show celebrated its 11th anniversary on July 11, 2021, with 563 episodes. After chasing his castmates around and entertaining fans for more than a decade, Lee left the show on June 13, 2021.

Singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and actress BoA (Kwon Bo-ah) is regarded as one of South Korea's most influential and prominent singers. Debuting as a solo artist under SM Entertainment when she was only 14 years old, she has since released 20 studio albums (10 in Korean, nine in Japanese, and one in English). In her active years, she became the first South Korean pop star to break through in Japan and her English album became the first record by a K-pop artist to appear on the Billboard 200. 

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BoA has contributed greatly to the Korean entertainment industry, having spearheaded the Korean Wave into Japan and later, the rest of the world. Until today, the highly respected artist is still widely referred to as the “Queen of K-pop”.

Originally a quintet, YG Entertainment’s K-pop group Bigbang, consisting of members G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P, Daesung, and Seungri debuted in 2006 to a lukewarm reception. A year later, the group released Lies, which topped the Korean music charts and scored them their first major award–and it was only uphill from there.

Read more: Bigbang announce the release date of their long-awaited comeback song

The group released song after song that became hit after hit, bagging numerous accolades and selling out tours. This was by no accident–Bigbang’s influence took over the Korean music scene and the members became the most popular and dominant K-pop acts in their generation, without the help of social media. At the peak of their game, their groundbreaking achievements and popularity earned them the title, “The Nation’s Boy Group”.

When Irene (Bae Joo-hyun) was introduced to the Korean entertainment circuit as a member of SM Rookies, a pre-debut team of trainees under SM Entertainment, she gained recognition for her perfectly proportioned features and classic visual–a timeless look which checks all the boxes for Korean beauty standards, loved by Koreans.

See also: How do you dress up like Red Velvet’s Irene? Check out these 5 tips

She debuted as a member and leader of Red Velvet in 2014 and very quickly, the group became one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide. While promoting with Red Velvet, Irene also hosted TV programs, music festivals, and award events, through which she continued to sweep fans off their feet with her visuals and earned the nickname, “The Original Visual”.

Jin, the eldest BTS member, never intended to become an idol. He had lofty dreams of becoming a journalist but decided to pursue acting. He studied and graduated with a degree in Film Studies and later enrolled in Hanyang Cyber University. In short, anything but music.

Don’t miss: 7 Things to know about Jin of BTS

After Big Hit Entertainment scouted him for his looks, he auditioned as an actor before becoming an idol trainee. Despite having no background in music, he sang, co-wrote, and co-produced songs under the BTS umbrella, all of which have charted, and for his solo works. Music aside, he also earned the nickname, “Worldwide Handsome”–a playful self-description and branding that was intended to be a joke–but it resonated with ARMYs (what BTS’ fans are called) and became a permanent catchphrase.

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