BTS at 24.6%, BLACKPINK at 12.3%...Top Two in Global K-pop Preferences

In the 2025 overseas Hallyu survey, BTS came in first place with a 24.6% vote share, ranking as the most preferred Korean singer/group. BLACKPINK secured second place with 12.3%, while IU finished in third place with 3.1%. These figures, released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the International Cultural Exchange Foundation, represent the results of an annual survey based on data collected overseas in 2024. Jung Kook, BTS’s Maknae, also achieved notable results. Despite being in active military service, he made it into the top 10 most preferred Korean singers with 1.8% of the votes, landing in sixth place. This marks a two-position rise from the previous year, allowing him to remain in the top 10 for two consecutive years. Jung Kook’s solo songs continued to climb rankings on Billboard and iTunes Global charts even during his service, sustaining his influence in the global music market. His popularity was evenly distributed across different regions as well. He ranked third in the Middle East with 3.2% and in Africa with 4.1%, while he placed fifth in Europe with 1.6%. These numbers have remained unchanged since 2023, indicating that Jung Kook’s global fanbase is stable. The BTS members are currently focusing on their solo projects. Jin and j-hope have already completed their military service, while RM, SUGA, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook are scheduled to be discharged around June 2025. Meanwhile, BLACKPINK is preparing for a world tour in 2025 and expressed in an interview that they hope “the upcoming generations following in our footsteps can freely blaze their own paths.”