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Check out these 11 male K-Pop idols with the rarest last names.
Dyllan Mykel, Kpopmap EditorHundreds of K-Pop idols debut every year, so it's only natural for there to be an overlap in names. In order to stand out as their own person, some idols use stage names that are either completely different or embody their original name in some way. While they promote under a different alias, their groupmates, staff, and family still refer to them by their original name.
While there are a vast number of people with common surnames like Lee or Kim, that's not the case for everyone. Some idols possess extremely rare family names that are hard to come by, even in Korea. Every 15 years, the country conducts a census in order to take note of and track the number of people with the same surname.
Take a look down below to see the 11 male K-Pop idols who possess the rarest family names.
Note: all data comes from the last census conducted in 2015.
Even if you've been a part of the K-Pop community for 10+ years, you probably have not heard of another celebrity with the same surname as Ong SeongWu. His last name is one of the rarest in South Korea, and according to the 2015 census, there are a total of 967 people with the last name Ong.
TaeYang is known all over the globe as a member of BIGBANG and his successful solo endeavors. While he has millions of fans, the number of people that share his family name is definitely on the smaller side. According to the 2015 census, there are a total of 5,936 people with the last name Dong.
Due to his outgoing personality and his ability to lead a conversation, SeungKwan is often referred to as MC Boo. This nickname stems from his actual family name — which is actually, extremely rare. According to the 2015 census, there are a total of 10,604 people with the last name Boo.
JaeHyun might be a common name, shared by a number of different idols, but Golden Child's JaeHyun is undoubtedly set apart from the rest. The idol possesses one of the rarest surnames in South Korea. According to the 2015 census, there are only 12,959 people with the last name Bong.
Eun JiWon is a first generation idol who's a legend in the music scene. While that might be the case, there are only a handful of people who share the same last name. According to the 2015 census, there are only 16,927 people with the family name Eun.
Luckily for Eun JiWon, a fellow Eun has joined the K-Pop industry in TNX's Hwi, whose full name is Eun Hwi. Despite being separated by a few generations, they can rejoice in finding another Eun in the midst of the music scene.
SungJae is an extraordinary vocalist and actor. He's known for many things, including having a rare last name. According to the 2015 census, there are only 23,455 people with the last name Yook.
TaecYeon is lauded as one of the original beast idols. While many more have come to vie for that title, he will always hold onto the fact that he has one of the rarest family names in the business. According to the 2015 census, there are only 25,107 people with the last name Ok.
While there are a vast number of celebrities in the scene, there aren't many with the same family name as EPEX' Keum. According to the 2015 census, there are a total of 25,472 people with the last name Keum.
P.O. is hilarious on variety programs and a charismatic rapper on music shows. Among his many names, he also has one of the more rarer names in the K-Pop industry. According to the 2015 census, there are a total of 30,749 people with the last name Pyo.
JungHwan is known as the maknae of the group. But that's not all he's known for — he also possesses one of the rarest names in K-Pop. According to the 2015 census, there are a total of 53,856 people with the last name So.
D.O has become known all over the world for his amicable personality and happy-go-lucky nature. There are not many idols like him, in both aura and family name. According to the 2015 census, there are a total of 57,946 people with the last name Do.
Did you know these idols have the rarest last names in South Korea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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If you’re interested in the early days of K-pop music or need to add a little more fun to your playlist this summer… we got you covered all you have to do is keep reading!
ArringtoninMusing, Fan WriterAh… Summer the time for beaches, volleyball in the sand, and summer hits! And where are these summer hits performed? Summer festivals. So, what better way to kick off the summer than a playlist dedicated to summer vibes at a summer festival! But we decided to add a twist with first generation K-Pop tracks as the focus point. Ever wondered how long this era lasted? First-generation K-Pop is said to start from the early 90s up until the early 2000s and like all things it’s debatable how long this era actually lasts. For reference, we chose to select songs from the years 1990 to 2004 right before the mid-year of the 2000s.
And with first-generation K-Pop you’re guaranteed a front row seat to all the inspiration from the 90s and 2000s fashion. Afterall this was the beginning of unique K-Pop concepts and music videos. Crazy cool vocals and raps meshed with sick beats. Also, let’s not forget more visuals and biases to make your heart skip a beat and to fan out about (and add to your bias list).
Look no further if you’re interested in the early days of K-Pop music or need to add a little more fun to your playlist this summer… we got you covered all you have to do is keep reading!
We had to include a song from Seotaiji and Boys, the group that founded K-Pop in our playlist as they started the trend of what K-Pop would come to be. The song we would like to include in this playlist is ‘I Know’ which was released March 23rd, 1992. And this song was written and composed by Seo TaiJi the leader of the group.
Although this song is about being stupid and not confessing your love to the one you like and missing the right timing because, you could possibly lose them. It fits the summer vibes with its upbeat track blending Pop, Hip-Hop, and Rock. And we have all been in the situation where we liked someone so much, we couldn’t speak in the moment to tell them our true feelings. So, we'd like to think of this as our song that represents that moment before summer break where it’s hard to get the courage to confess your love and this would be the perfect song for the audience to connect to it if their going through that feeling now or have in the past. Join us to watch the video as they sing about how they know they messed up their chance.
H.O.T needed to be included in this list as they are iconic and have influenced many K-Pop groups that have come after them. And one of the songs we wanted to include is ‘Candy’ a song about how the members of the group try to be cold to the person they love in order to protect their hearts but, it does not work because they love that person so much, they pledge that they will be there for them always.
The next song we want to add to the playlist is ‘Full of Happiness’ which talks about wondering if their special person forgot them because they haven’t forgotten their person. And eventually H.O.T realizes that they weren’t forgotten as they dry that special person’s tears away and they promise to give them happiness. We think these two songs are great for the playlist as they are upbeat and give off that summer feeling and the feeling, we have all had.
Sechs Kies was a six-member group but, once they disbanded and reunited in 2016, they became a four-member group currently. And the song that we would like to highlight for them is 'PomSaengPomSa' and this song automatically sounds like you’re at a beach with its guitar in the beginning that resembles the surf sounds used in songs in the sixties. The unique sound of retro nineteen-sixties meshing with the upbeat atmosphere of nineties K-Pop adds to the excitement of the song making it unforgettable.
Also, the fun storyline created in ‘PomSaengPomSa’ about the members caring more about how they live to look cool even when their hurt and that they must let go of “unnecessary” feelings of love means they’re not going to be able to stay calm and look put together at all moments. Lastly, the liveliness of the members performing this song makes you want to jump and have fun along with them making it perfect for the summer festival playlist.
The song that we would like to talk about is Diva's 'Why Do You Call?' which is about the members hanging out at the beach and getting called on by someone who wants to be more than friends and takes a liking to them when they see them at the beach. But the members express that they are tired of having temporary love that eventually wears away. The members want a permanent love and they try to convince the person that there is a better person out there for them other than themselves but, the person doesn’t believe so and they continue to want to date the member. Eventually, the member thanks the beach for bringing their forever love to them and the members get married to the person they met on the beach. So, we think it is only right to add this song to the playlist with its light airy sound paired with a beach love in the summer to our playlist.
We chose the song ‘Wa’ by Lee JungHyun because it has an upbeat techno feel to it, and it would be great to have at a summer festival to get the crowd up and moving. ‘Wa’ has this high energy throughout the whole song that makes a festival so fun to go to. Although it’s about not being able to let go of someone you love because they already have your heart always and forever and they might as well accept your love because you’re not giving them up.
Summer is about finding new love and sometimes about facing heartbreak as people take this season as the time to grow and change due to having more time because they don’t have school to go to or are taking vacations. JungHyun would get the crowd to cheer and lament along with her as she sings this up tempo hit!
What is a first-generation K-Pop playlist without BoA? As she is known as the “Queen of K-Pop”. The first song that we would like to add to the playlist is ‘ID;Peace B’ which is about BoA having her own Neverland (her own world) and her being different and that it’s okay. And that once she finds the people who are determined the way she is and who have the same ideas about life that she has they will strive together and reach their dreams.
Next, let's talk about BoA’s ‘Atlantis Princess’ which is about BoA being from another world and forgetting about the world she came from and what it would be like when she goes back to visit the world she came from. We chose these songs because they have a happy and dreamlike sound with great instruments supporting the two songs such as violins and guitars adding to the full grandiose sound of each track which would sound amazing on a festival stage and in a playlist.
1TYM talks about a good love in ‘Good Love’ and how beautiful the person is that they love. And the sweet vocals mixed with the contrast of the Hip-Hop styled beat create a beautiful mix made for a summer filled with cute love. We loved the upbeat and fresh vibe in the music video. And seeing the classic nineties camera set-up as the group sang and rapped together. Also, a light fun track about love is always a staple for a summer playlist. So, we thought why not this 1TYM's track.
The last track we wanted to add from 1TYM is ‘1TYM’ because it gives a rush that makes you want to move, it’s a song you would put on as you're getting ready with your friends before a summer party and that you want to hear again once you’re at the party so, that you can get out on the dance floor and show off your dance moves with your friends. Also, at a summer festival is one big party so, ‘1TYM’ had to be added to the playlist because ‘1TYM’ is like an instant hype song perfect for the summer. All they need is “1TYM to blow your mind!”
We wanted to add a song that you could just grove to in the playlist, so we picked ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ by JINUSEAN. And if that’s not enough, this song is about a love that started in the summer and JINUSEAN wants to know if the person they love really truly loves them too as much as they love them. It’s the perfect track to turn on while on a summer road trip that will help add that little piece of delight and calmness to your playlist and drive (as you travel to the summer festival). Also, the continuous beat that sounds like a slightly distorted guitar playing makes a perfect base for this song. As well as JINUSEAN’s calm but present voices in this song. “How deep is your love?".
‘Rock & Roll Summer’ by Shinhwa was the perfect song for this list and is about unrequited love. And how the members met a special someone at the beach who doesn’t know who they are, but they have these memories of them. The members even cherish the moment they looked at them for the first time. The song has a fun upbeat feel as well as a guitar that gives this retro style to the song with its classic fifties rock sound. We think the retro feel is what makes this song so fun to listen to and it would be a great mood lifter in a playlist. Let’s Rock & Roll this summer!
In ‘Destiny’ by Cool it has this fun beat that would be cool to hear at a festival. And all of the different ad-libs that this song is fun to hear would make it nice to hear live on stage or in a playlist. ‘Destiny’ being about one of the members finally finding his destiny with the other member and dating both of them because he doesn’t know who to choose reminds me of how crazy summer can be.
It would be the story you told all of your friends about when you went back to school of why your summer turned out to be so hectic. Overall, we love the styling of the video and the clothing too. What is your ‘Destiny’?
We hope you enjoyed the songs we picked for our “Eclectic K-Pop Summer Festival List “. And that you add them to your playlist this summer to celebrate these amazing first-generation K-Pop groups!
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