Here Are The Top 4 Most Powerful People In K-Pop Over The Past 50 Years

K-Pop is what it is today because of them.

Ilgan Sports surveyed 100 influential people currently working in the entertainment industry. It included producers, directors, and agencies to name a few, and they were all asked to rank the top 4 “Power People” in K-Pop over the past 50 years.

The results were as follows:

1. Cho Yong Pil

Cho Yong Pil is considered a treasure of Korea for all of his contributions to the entertainment industry. A pop singer since his 1968 debut in the band Atkins, he has since released 19 solo albums.

He celebrated his 50 year anniversary back in 2018, selling out his two day solo concert. Cho Yong Pil is known for lasting through decades of changes in the music industry and still being loved by all generations.

2. Seo Taeji and BTS

Tied at second place are Seo Taeji and BTS.

Seo Taeji is a singer, songwriter, and producer who found great success in the pop band “Seo Taiji and Boys.” He is credited for helping K-Pop find its unique color because of his creative music videos, songs, and fashion.

BTS is the biggest K-Pop act today. They have jumped leaps and bounds in spreading K-Pop around the globe. As a reflection of their popularity, they constantly break YouTube records. They have also won numerous local and international awards including the Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards. BTS has been dominating the world with both their English and Korean songs. They’re simply unstoppable right now.

3. Lee Soo Man

Finally, the fourth on the list is Lee Soo Man, a representative role model of entertainment producers. HOT, TVXQ, Super Junior, Boa, Girls’ Generation, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, and aespa are all key figures who created today’s idol music industry.

The officials who were surveyed explained that Lee Soo Man was a “contributor to the current entertainment industry system” and “a pioneer of the Korean wave that brought Korean music to the world.”