A recent post on the popular Korean online community Instiz sparked a lively discussion among K-netizens about which foreign K-pop idols have achieved native fluency in the Korean language.
Korean netizens pick the foreign K-pop idols who speak Korean the best
The original post posed the question, “Is there a foreign member who speaks Korean like a native?” with the added clarification to exclude idols who are half-Korean or Korean immigrants. The post quickly gained attention, with many netizens chiming in to share their picks.
Among the top names mentioned were TWICE’s Sana (Japan), NCT's Renjin (China), I-DLE’s Minnie (Thailand) and Yuqi (China), RIIZE’s Shotaro (Japan), TREASURE’s Haruto (Japan), BLACKPINK’s Lisa (Thailand), and ENHYPEN's Ni-Ki. Of those, multiple users pointed to Yuqi as sounding nearly indistinguishable from a native Korean speaker, praising her fluency and natural expressions.
Others shared their surprise upon learning that TREASURE’s Haruto is not Korean, noting that his pronunciation and speaking style are so natural it’s hard to tell.
Korean netizens' comments
"Sana."
"Yuqi, Minnie. Yuqi really has the Korean vibes."
"Honestly, I don't think anyone is that fluent."
"Shotaro and Haruto. Haruto saying 'Nihonjin da yo (I'm Japanese)' was hilarious."
"Yuqi."
"Yuqi even understands the subtle underlying tones of the conversation."
"I'm a fan of another group, but I agree about Yuqi. She seems to be good at other foreign languages too."
"Lisa."
"Sana and Yuqi."
"Sana and Yuqi? Sana even has pretty Korean handwriting."
"I honestly thought Haruto wasn’t just Korean, but specifically from the Jeolla region. His tone is so warm and local."
"With other idols, even when they speak well, it's like, 'Wow, they speak really good Korean!' But with Haruto, I didn’t even think that. I just assumed he was Korean."
"Renjun. He’s been speaking Korean since he was little, so he’s basically native."
"Shotaro."
"Niki (ENHYPEN) speaks really well."
"Niki even has a native-like intonation."
"Renjun's pronunciation is so Korean-like, LOL."
"Moka from ILLIT is actually pretty good."
"Mashiro from Kep1er, Haruto, and Yuqi."
"Sana."
"Some of the idols mentioned here still have strong accents, don’t they? But wow, I looked up Haruto, and he’s really good."
"Yuqi, Sana."
"Renjun from NCT Dream...?"
"TREASURE’s Haruto!!!!! Also Ningning."
"Every time I see Haruto retweeting in Korean, I feel like he speaks Korean better than me. It's hilarious."
"I didn’t think anyone qualified, but yeah, I agree with Haruto."
"Sana comes to mind. Her handwriting is better than most Koreans'. I was shocked when I saw a poem she wrote."
"Haruto is seriously legendary. It's honestly amazing that he's not Korean.
I was even more shocked after watching video clips."
Videos of foreign K-pop idols speaking Korean
Lisa
Sana
Renjun
Ningning
Shotaro
Yuqi
Haruto
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