Boy groups with a significant number of Japanese members are currently rising in popularity within Korea.
Korean agencies have recently launched successful boy groups predominantly composed of Japanese members, including NCT WISH, &TEAM, and NEXZ, who are rapidly making their mark on the K-pop market. These groups were initially formed with the goal of primarily promoting in Japan while conducting supplementary activities in Korea. However, due to unexpectedly strong reception and growing fandom in Korea, they have shifted their focus to become ‘Korea-based groups,’ expanding their activities within the country.
First, NCT WISH, consisting of Sion, Riku, Yushi, Jaehee, Ryo, and Sakuya, is a six-member multinational idol group that debuted in February 2024 under SM Entertainment, serving as the final sub-unit of NCT. It features a unique lineup with two Korean members, Sion and Jaehee, and four Japanese members: Riku, Yushi, Ryo, and Sakuya.
NCT WISH captivates fans with their exceptionally refreshing and natural cuteness, along with an ‘aegyo power’ that evokes maternal instincts, a charm rarely seen in other male idol groups. The members are well aware of their strengths, deliberately showcasing a cover stage of TWICE’s ‘TT’ at a year-end awards ceremony, which resonated widely. NCT WISH also benefits from the excellent planning of their design and content teams, consistently releasing ‘Wish Core’ winged accessories – a recognizable aesthetic even to non-fans – and engaging Gen-Z-inspired challenge videos.
NCT WISH achieved ‘million-seller’ status just one day after the release of their first full-length album, ‘Ode to Love,’ on April 20th. According to Hanteo Chart data released on April 27th, the album recorded a staggering 1,825,925 copies in first-week sales (initial sales within the first seven days of release), setting a new personal record for the group. This marks NCT WISH’s third consecutive ‘million-seller’ achievement, following their second mini-album ‘poppop’ (1.087 million first-week sales in April last year) and their third mini-album ‘COLOR’ (1.395 million first-week sales in September).
Furthermore, this album dominated major domestic music charts, securing daily and weekly No. 1 spots on platforms like Hanteo Chart, Yes24, and Circle Chart Retail Album Chart. The title track ‘Ode to Love’ also performed exceptionally well digitally, peaking at No. 3 on Melon TOP100 and No. 1 on HOT100, reaching No. 28 on the daily chart (as of April 22nd), and No. 3 on Apple Music Korea TOP100. This demonstrates strong performance across both physical album sales and digital streaming.
&TEAM, a group under HYBE Labels’ YX Labels, debuted in Japan in December 2022 and then made their Korean debut last October. Similar to other groups mentioned, &TEAM primarily consists of Japanese members. Out of the nine members, only EJ (Korean) and Nicholas (Taiwanese) are not Japanese, with K, Fuma, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki, and Maki (who holds dual German nationality) being Japanese.
Prior to their official debut, &TEAM members EJ, K, Nicholas, and Taki gained public recognition by appearing on Mnet’s audition program ‘I-LAND.’ The group is known for their ‘cold charisma,’ executing highly complex choreography featuring jumps and acrobatics with sharp precision. A unique aspect of &TEAM is their shared universe with ENHYPEN, another HYBE Labels group from Belift Lab that debuted earlier through ‘I-LAND.’ Within this ‘Dark Moon’ universe, ENHYPEN are portrayed as vampires, while &TEAM are depicted as werewolves, adding a rich layer to their artistic concept.
&TEAM’s Korean debut album, the first mini-album ‘Back to Life,’ released last October, exceeded one million sales on its first day, earning them ‘million-seller’ status. It recorded cumulative shipments of 1,331,733 copies according to Circle Chart. With this album, &TEAM achieved significant success on major global charts, including their first entry onto the U.S. Billboard charts and securing the No. 1 spot on Japan’s Oricon Ranking, in addition to topping domestic charts.
According to the latest charts released by Oricon on April 28th, &TEAM’s third Japanese mini-album, ‘We on Fire,’ released on April 21st, claimed the No. 1 position on the ‘Weekly Album Ranking’ (dated May 4th / aggregation period April 20-26). This marks &TEAM’s fifth time topping Oricon’s ‘Weekly Album Ranking.’ ‘We on Fire’ also reached No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s ‘Top Album Sales’ (aggregation period April 20-26). The album sold a total of 1,117,354 copies during its first week of release (April 20-26, based on Hanteo Chart). This impressive achievement makes it their third consecutive million-seller, following their third Japanese single ‘Go in Blind’ and their first Korean mini-album ‘Back to Life’.
NEXZ is a new JYP Entertainment boy group that debuted in May 2024, formed by members selected through ‘Nizi Project Season 2,’ a survival program co-planned by JYP and Sony Music Japan. Out of the seven members, six – Tomoya, Yu, Haru, Seita, Hyui, and Yuki – are Japanese, while one, Sogyeon, is a Korean national residing in Japan (Zainichi Korean).
NEXZ also showcases high-level performances utilizing acrobatics, a hallmark strength of JYP boy groups. They strongly embody an artistic color as ‘self-producing idols,’ following in the footsteps of their label seniors, Stray Kids; members Tomoya, Haru, and Hyui actively participate in lyric writing and composition. NEXZ emphasizes a free-spirited freestyle approach, promoting ‘NEXZ Way’ (NEXZ + My Way) as their unique aesthetic and musical direction.
NEXZ released their second single album ‘Mmchk’ and its title track of the same name on April 27th. The album topped Hanteo Chart’s Daily Album Chart and Circle Chart’s Daily Retail Album Chart on April 28th. The title track ‘Mmchk’ also reached No. 1 on Bugs’ real-time chart on its release day, the 27th, and on the 28th, ‘Mmchk,’ the b-side ‘HYPEMAN,’ and ‘Mmchk (English Version)’ all ranked concurrently in the top 3 of that chart, showcasing their immediate impact.
The reason NCT WISH, &TEAM, and NEXZ have captivated the Korean fandom is attributed not only to their high-quality music and performances, forged through systematic K-pop training, but also to a sense of curiosity and emotional familiarity with Japan, a neighboring country. Each group’s distinct individuality, compelling concepts, and unique charm also play a significant role in their widespread popularity and strong appeal.
An industry official told StarNews, “Given the active and interconnected cultural exchange between the Gen-Z generations of both countries, these three groups are seen as a reflection of these factors. Consumers have responded enthusiastically to the members’ passion, who, after rigorous K-pop training and debut, strive to perform based on K-pop’s grammar and formulas, leading to commensurate achievements.” The official added, “A common thread among the three teams is the formation of unique group narratives and strong member chemistry shared with their fans. Their distinguishing factor lies in showcasing their individual strengths—be it concept, world-building, or performance—to thrive on the global stage, making them powerful contenders in the evolving K-pop landscape.”
