The K-pop industry is known to be the most rapidly-growing industry. While this industry has given a chance to many native Koreans to debut as Korean idols, it has also welcomed many k-pop idols from foreign lands like America, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, etc. So today, we will provide the lists of the top 10 k-pop idols who hold dual citizenship.
1. Rosé
Rosé was born in New Zealand on 11 February 1997 and raised in Melbourne, Australia. She moved to South Korea at the age of 15 for training after clearing the audition for YG Entertainment. She debuted as the final member of Blackpink in 2016 after training for four years and three months. Rosé holds citizenship in South Korea and New Zealand.
2. Jeon Somi
Jeon Somi is a Dutch-Canadian singer, rapper, and dancer. She was born on 9 March 2001 in Ontario, Canada. She is a former member of the Korean girl group I.O.I. She debuted as a soloist under The Black Label in 2019 with her single, "Birthday." Somi is currently working as a solo artist and has citizenship in South Korea, the Netherlands, and Canada.
3. Nancy
Nancy Jewel McDaniel, better known as Nancy, is a Korean-American singer and actress. Nancy was born in 2001 in Daegu, South Korea. She has been active on television since 2011 through various programs. She is a member of the Korean group Momoland and made her debut as a singer in 2016.
4. Vernon
Hansol Vernon Choi, better known by his stage name Vernon is a Korean-American singer, rapper, and songwriter born in New York, USA. He debuted as the rapper and singer of the boy band SEVENTEEN under Pledis Entertainment. While he was born in America, he was brought up in Seoul, South Korea, and has citizenship in both South Korea and the USA.
5. Mina
Mina Sharon Myoi, better known as Mina, is a Japanese singer and dancer of the Korean girl group—Twice. She was born on 24 March 1997, in Texas, USA, and grew up in Nishinyomia, Japan. She moved to South Korea in 2014 and marked her debut in 2015 as a member of Twice. Mina had both Japanese and American citizenship till 2017, but now she no longer holds citizenship in the USA.
6. Jae (Day6)
The 30-year-old musician, singer, and songwriter was born in Argentina and grew up in California. He was offered to join the upcoming boy bond of JYP Entertainment after participating in a Korean reality show, K-Pop Star. Although he couldn't make it till the end of the show, he was able to make his career in music as a vocalist and electric guitarist of the band, Day6. Jae holds citizenship in Argentina and the USA.
7. Krystal Jung
Chrystal Soo Jung, better known as Krystal Jung, was born on October 24, 1994, in San Francisco, California. She later debuted as a vocalist in girl group f(x) under SM Entertainment in 2009.She also has a well-known career as an actress and has been a part of many popular Korean dramas, including The Heirs, High Kick, Prison Playbook, Police University, Crazy love, etc. Krystal holds citizenship in both South Korea and the U.S.
8. Enhypen Jay
Jay Park was born in 2002 in Seattle, Washington, USA, and later moved to South Korea at nine years. Jay trained for two years under SM Entertainment and debuted as a trainee at Enhypen under BigHit Entertainment in 2020. He is known for his dark and sharp looks. Jay was born in 2002 and has citizenship in South Korea and America.
9. Enhypen Jake
Sim Jaeyun, popularly known as Jake, is a member of the Korean boy band Enhypen. Jake was born on 15 November 2002, in Seoul, South Korea, but his family moved to Australia when he was young. The band debuted in November 2020; and consists of 7 members, including Jake, Jay, Sunghoon, Ni-Ki, Heesung, Sunoo, and Jungwon. Jake holds both Australian and South Korean citizenship.
10. 2 PM's Nichkhun
Nichkhun is the lead rapper of the boy band 2 PM. The Thai-American singer, rapper, and actor have been based in South Korea since 2006.However, he was born in California, USA, and brought up in Thailand. Nichkhun holds Thai and American citizenship. He moved to South Korea in 2006 as a trainee under JYP Entertainment. He was offered this opportunity when he was at the Los Angeles Korean Festival during his studies in Los Angeles, America.