The Korean entertainment industry has become one of the most active and popular industries of film, TV, and music. Every year, thousands flock to various K-pop talent hunt shows to fulfill their dreams of becoming famous. Their popularity is easily assessed by the fact that people from different countries travel to South Korea every year to try their luck and be the one in hundreds or even thousands to enter the trainee programs. No matter how challenging the competition might be, the K-pop industry keeps thriving with new talent that joins it from all around the world. Here is a list of the top 10 Thai and Chinese Idols making it big in the K-pop world.
1. Lisa (BLACKPINK)
Lisa Manobal is a rapper in the popular K-pop girl group Blackpink. She was born in the Buriram province of Thailand and raised by her Thai mother and Swiss father. At age fourteen, she auditioned for the South Korean label YG Entertainment and was selected out of 4000 applicants. A year later, she moved to Korea to begin her journey as a trainee under the company!
2. Jackson Wang (GOT7)
Another South Korean rapper on the list, Wang, was born Wang Ka-yee in Hong Kong. Initially, he wasn’t into performing arts and was an athletic student, with both his parents being Olympic-level athletes. Wang even began fencing at the age of ten; It was during a basketball game when he was spotted by a representative of JYP Entertainment who later invited him to audition in Kowloon. After being the only applicant to pass the audition among 2000 auditioners, he gave up his scholarship to Stanford and fencing to become a trainee in Seoul.
3. Lay Zhang (Exo)
Zhang Yixing is a rapper, singer, dancer, actor, and businessman from the K-pop group Exo. Born in the Changsha district of Hunan, China, he began his idol journey by appearing in the Chinese talent hunt show Star Academy. After winning third place in the front, he gained recognition and, at sixteen, decided to audition for SM Entertainment in Wuhan. After successfully passing it, he moved to South Korea to fulfill his journey to become an idol.
4. Ten (NCT)
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Ten first gained popularity when he participated in the Thai show Teen Superstar. He not only won it but also got the opportunity to sign a contract with the famous South Korean agency Starship Entertainment. Being unable to join them due to family complications, he later passed the SM global audition in Thailand and joined the company just two years later.
5. THE8 (SEVENTEEN)
Initially named XU Minghao, THE8 is a Chinese singer and dancer from the famous K-pop group SEVENTEEN. He initially gained popularity in China by participating in various talent hunt shows like the CCTV Variety Show, Day Day Up, and the Shanghai World Dance Competition. He eventually debuted as a member of Seventeen, the South Korean boy band, in the year 2015. So far, he has not only made his name in the industry as a vocalist of the group but also as a soloist!
6. Lu Han (Exo)
Born in Beijing, China, Lu Han is a Chinese singer, dancer and actor. He later moved to South Korea as an exchange student and passed his major with a degree in music from the Seoul Institute of Arts. After being rejected in an audition for the JYP Entertainment company, he was spotted by the scouts of SM Entertainment and was finally signed under them to be a part of the boy band Exo.
7. Nichkhun
Nichkhun is a Thai singer, actor, and model born in Canada and raised in Thailand. Hailing from a rich Thai family, he is even called the Thai Prince in South Korea. He was spotted at a Los Angeles Music Festival by the scouts of JYP Entertainment who invited him to audition for the company. On passing the audition, he eventually signed a ten-year contract with the company and moved to South Korea to be a part of the boy band PM.
8. Handong (DREAMCATCHER)
Handong is a Chinese vocalist in the Wuhan district of China. As a high school student, she took multiple lessons in opera and acting, and her professor suggested she audition in Korea. She eventually moved to South Korea after enrolling in a university there and successfully auditioned to be a part of Happy Face Entertainment. In 2017, she became a band member of the girl group Dreamcatcher.
9. Minnie ( I-dle)
Born Nicha Yontararak, Minnie is a Thai songwriter, singer, and actress. After participating in the Cube Star World audition in Thailand in 2015, she moved to Korea and was featured in various concerts and dance videos by the label. She eventually became a part of the girl group G(I-DLE) where she finally debuted in 2018 and continued to write and sing songs under the label.
10. Bambam (GOT7)
Another GOT7 member, Bambam, is a Thai rapper and singer from this popular K-pop group. He participated in multiple dance and talent shows in Thailand as a kid, and at the age of thirteen, he passed the JYP World Tour Audition and finally moved to Korea to become a JYPE trainee. He trained under JYP Entertainment for over three years before finally debuting in GOT7.
