The Most Famous

SINGERS from South Korea

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This page contains a list of the greatest South Korean Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 143 of which were born in South Korea. This makes South Korea the birth place of the 3rd most number of Singers behind United States, and United Kingdom.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary South Korean Singers of all time. This list of famous South Korean Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of South Korean Singers.

Photo of Psy

1. Psy (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 58.69, Psy is the most famous South Korean Singer.  His biography has been translated into 91 different languages on wikipedia.

Park Jae-sang (Korean: 박재상, IPA: [pɐk̚.t͡ɕεsɐŋ]; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy (싸이; SY), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter. Known domestically for his humorous music videos and performances and internationally for his hit single "Gangnam Style", he has received numerous accolades, including an American Music Award, ten MAMA Awards, and a World Music Award. Psy debuted with his first studio album Psy from the Psycho World! to mixed reviews from critics, who criticized its inappropriate content. In 2010, he signed with YG Entertainment, where he released his breakthrough single "Gangnam Style" in 2012. The song and its accompanying music video became a worldwide viral phenomenon following its release; the music video became the first video on YouTube to reach 1 billion views and was the most-viewed video on YouTube for nearly five years before being surpassed by the video for "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa, and holds the record for the most days spent at the top spot. He followed this with his single "Gentleman", which was the most-viewed YouTube video in its first 24 hours at the time. In 2018, he founded his talent agency P Nation, where he released his studio album Psy 9th in 2022, supported by the lead track "That That".

Photo of Jisoo

2. Jisoo (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 57.21, Jisoo is the 2nd most famous South Korean Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 54 different languages.

Kim Ji-soo (Korean: 김지수; born January 3, 1995), known mononymously as Jisoo, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, which debuted under YG Entertainment in August 2016. Outside of her music career, she made her acting debut with a cameo role in the 2015 series The Producers and played her first leading role in the JTBC series Snowdrop (2021–22). In March 2023, Jisoo released her debut single album Me, which became the best-selling album by a female soloist in South Korea and the first to sell over a million copies. Its lead single "Flower" was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard Global 200 and the Circle Digital Chart and breaking the record for the highest-charting song by a Korean female soloist on the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. In 2024, she established her own label named Blissoo. Jisoo has been awarded several accolades throughout her career, including two Golden Disc Awards, three MAMA Awards, a Circle Chart Music Award, and the Seoul International Drama Award for Outstanding Korean Actress. She is the most-followed Korean actress on Instagram, and has been recognized for her impact on fashion as a global ambassador for Dior.

Photo of Jimin

3. Jimin (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 56.16, Jimin is the 3rd most famous South Korean Singer.  His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Park Ji-min (Korean: 박지민; born October 13, 1995), known mononymously as Jimin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. In 2013, he made his debut as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, under the record label Big Hit Entertainment. Jimin has released three solo tracks under BTS' name—"Lie" in 2016, "Serendipity" in 2017, and "Filter" in 2020—all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. He released his first credited solo song, the digital track "Promise", which he co-wrote, in 2018 and recorded the duet "With You" with Ha Sung-woon for the soundtrack for the TvN drama Our Blues in 2022. Jimin released his debut solo album, Face in 2023, which debuted at number one in South Korea and Japan and number two on the US Billboard 200, making him the highest-charting Korean solo artist on the latter chart. The album's single "Like Crazy" became the first song by a Korean solo artist to debut at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in history. Jimin also became the first Korean solo artist to top the Billboard Artist 100 chart. In 2024, he released his second album, Muse, and its lead single "Who", which debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200.

Photo of Kim Seok-jin

4. Kim Seok-jin (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 55.87, Kim Seok-jin is the 4th most famous South Korean Singer.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Kim Seok-jin (Korean: 김석진; born December 4, 1992), known professionally as Jin (진), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Jin has released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" in 2016, "Epiphany" in 2018, and "Moon" in 2020, all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Jin released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He made his official debut as a solo artist in October 2022, with the release of the single "The Astronaut". Apart from singing, Jin appeared as a host on multiple South Korean music programs from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with his bandmates for his contributions to Korean culture.

Photo of RM

5. RM (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 55.82, RM is the 5th most famous South Korean Singer.  His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Kim Nam-joon (Korean: 김남준; born September 12, 1994), known professionally as RM (formerly Rap Monster), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is the leader of South Korean boy band BTS, under Big Hit Entertainment. Born in Seoul and raised in Ilsan, RM began his music career in the underground Korean hip-hop scene as a teenager, going by the name Runch Randa. He joined Big Hit in 2010, and debuted as part of BTS in June 2013. RM released his first solo mixtape, RM, in 2015, followed by his second mixtape, Mono, in 2018. The latter became the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist in the United States in history when it peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200. He made his official solo debut in 2022, with the release of his studio album Indigo. The project featured contributions from various artists including Erykah Badu and Anderson .Paak. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist of all-time. RM has also collaborated with artists such as Warren G, Krizz Kaliko, MFBTY, Primary, Gaeko, Wale, Fall Out Boy, Younha, and Lil Nas X.

Photo of IU

6. IU (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 55.56, IU is the 6th most famous South Korean Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 60 different languages.

Lee Ji-eun (Korean: 이지은; born May 16, 1993), also known by her stage name IU (아이유), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She signed with LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao Entertainment) in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with Lost and Found (2008), her first EP. Although her follow-up albums in 2009, Growing Up and IU...IM, brought mainstream success, it was only after the release of "Good Day", the lead single from her 2010 album Real, that she achieved national stardom. "Good Day" went on to spend five consecutive weeks at the top of South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, and in 2019, it was ranked number one on Billboard's "100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s" list. With the success of her 2011 albums, Real+ and Last Fantasy, IU established herself as a formidable force on the music charts of her native country and further cemented her girl next door image as Korea's "little sister". 2011 also saw her first foray into songwriting with "Hold My Hand", which was written for the television series The Greatest Love. IU's third studio album, Modern Times (2013), showcased a more mature musical style that marked a departure from her earlier girlish image, with several tracks reaching the top 10 on the Gaon Digital Chart. The album was ranked number two on Billboard's "25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s" list. IU subsequently exerted more creative control over her music; Chat-Shire (2015) marked the first time she was credited as the sole lyricist of her own album. IU's fourth studio album, Palette (2017), became her first to reach number one on Billboard's World Albums chart. While her following records Love Poem (2019) and Lilac (2021) continued to deviate from mainstream K-pop styles, exploring and mixing various music genres, IU consistently retained her dominance on South Korean music charts. Her 2020 single "Eight" (prod. by Suga) became her first to reach number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart. Aside from her music career, IU has ventured into acting and hosting radio and television shows. Following her supporting role in the hit teen series Dream High (2011), she was cast in leading roles in melodrama You Are the Best! (2013), romantic comedy Bel Ami (2013–14), comedy drama The Producers (2015) and historical fiction Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016). IU's role as a desperate office worker in My Mister (2018) received critical acclaim, and she earned her first Best Actress in Television nomination at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2019, she starred in anthology film series Persona and dark fantasy Hotel del Luna, the latter of which led to her second Best Actress nomination at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2022, IU starred in Hirokazu Kore-eda's film Broker alongside Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona and Gang Dong-won. IU has released a total of five studio albums and nine EPs, five of which have reached number one on the Gaon Album Chart, and thirty number-one singles, making her the artist with the most number-one songs in South Korea. One of the best-selling solo acts in the group-dominated K-pop industry, IU became the first solo female K-pop act to perform at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena during the Seoul leg of her 2018 dlwlrma concert tour for her 10th anniversary and also the first Korean female artist to hold a solo concert, The Golden Hour, at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul on September 17 and 18, 2022. Rolling Stone named her the 135th greatest singer of all time in a 2023 ranking. She has been included five times in the top ten of Forbes magazine's annual Korea Power Celebrity list since 2012 and attained a peak ranking of number three that year. In 2014, Billboard recognized IU as the all-time leader of its K-pop Hot 100 with the most number-one songs and the artist with the most weeks at the number-one position on the chart. She was named Gallup Korea's Singer of the Year in 2014 and in 2017.

Photo of J-Hope

7. J-Hope (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 54.35, J-Hope is the 7th most famous South Korean Singer.  His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Jung Ho-seok (Korean: 정호석; born February 18, 1994), known professionally as J-Hope (stylized in lower case), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS in 2013, under Big Hit Entertainment. J-Hope released his first solo mixtape, Hope World, in 2018. It was received positively by critics and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard 200, the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist at the time. He became the first member of BTS to enter the Billboard Hot 100 as a soloist in 2019, when his single "Chicken Noodle Soup", featuring singer Becky G, debuted at number 81. In 2022, J-Hope released his debut studio album Jack in the Box. In 2023, he released his single "On the Street" with J. Cole.

Photo of Kim Jung-sook

8. Kim Jung-sook (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 53.87, Kim Jung-sook is the 8th most famous South Korean Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Kim Jung-sook (Korean: 김정숙; born 15 November 1954) is a South Korean classical singer who served as first lady of South Korea from 2017 to 2022, as the wife of the 12th president of South Korea Moon Jae-in.

Photo of Jungkook

9. Jungkook (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 53.23, Jungkook is the 9th most famous South Korean Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 58 different languages.

Jeon Jung-kook (Korean: 전정국; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook (stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member and vocalist of South Korean boy band BTS. He has performed three solo songs as part of BTS' discography— "Begin" in 2016, "Euphoria" in 2018, and "My Time" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. He also recorded the soundtrack song "Stay Alive" for the BTS-based webtoon 7Fates: Chakho. In 2022, Jungkook featured on American singer Charlie Puth's single "Left and Right", which peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he became the first South Korean artist to release an official song for the FIFA World Cup soundtrack with "Dreamers", which he subsequently performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. In 2023, Jungkook released his debut solo single "Seven" featuring Latto, which broke numerous chart and streaming records. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the Global 200, and the Global Excl. U.S. charts, making him the first Korean solo artist to do so, and eventually became the fastest song in history to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify. His follow-up single "3D", featuring Jack Harlow, debuted at number five on both the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, making Jungkook the first South Korean solo artist to achieve two consecutive top-five entries on the latter.

Photo of Sumi Jo

10. Sumi Jo (b. 1962)

With an HPI of 53.21, Sumi Jo is the 10th most famous South Korean Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Sumi Jo, OSI (조수미; Korean pronunciation: [t͡ɕo sumi]; born 22 November 1962) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her Grammy award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire.

People

Pantheon has 177 people classified as South Korean singers born between 1954 and 2004. Of these 177, 176 (99.44%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living South Korean singers include Psy, Jisoo, and Jimin. The most famous deceased South Korean singers include U;Nee. As of April 2024, 33 new South Korean singers have been added to Pantheon including Jang Won-young, Shin Seung-hun, and Yoo Seung-jun.

Living South Korean Singers

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Deceased South Korean Singers

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  • Photo of U;Nee

    U;Nee

    1981 - 2007

    HPI: 32.26

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Newly Added South Korean Singers (2024)

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