'Gangnam Style’ K-pop singer Psy tops list of South Korea's‘must-see’ global stars
Nation’s first singer with a Billboard Hot 100 hit beats actors Lee Min-ho, Song Joong-ki and his actress wife Song Hye-kyo in the top ‘Korean wave’ rankings
The South Korean singer known as Psy, whose catchy dance song Gangnam Style became a global viral hit in 2012, is the top hallyu – or “Korean wave” – star that fans around the world most want to see.
The 40-year-old, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, was the first South Korean singer to make the American Billboard Hot 100 chart.
His song spent 31 weeks on the chart, just missing out on the top spot when peaking at No 2 in October 2012.
The Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange – government institute that promotes the nation internationally through cultural exchange – said that actor Lee Min-ho, who was propelled to stardom after appearing in Korean television dramas including the 2009 series Boys over Flowers and 2013’s The Heirs, was ranked second.
Lee, 31, who has starred in films such as the China-produced 2016 action film, Bounty Hunters, is very popular in the Middle East.
Actor Song Joong-ki and his actress wife Song Hye-kyo – who married last year after starring together in 2016’s hit television drama Descendants of the Sun – were ranked third and fourth, respectively.
They are both extremely popular in China.