When K-pop artists are almost always seen under the spotlight on stage or on screen, fans love nothing more than to witness their idols’ genuine connections and friendships with other people. For fans who like multiple K-pop groups, it’s even better to discover that their biases from various groups are actually friends in real life.
Come to think of it, these K-pop idols are able to relate to each other best as they share common experiences and are in a similar line of work. With this, they form bonds with same-aged friends, especially if they only have older or younger members in their own groups.
Here are some of the K-pop idol friend groups with the most adorable friendships:
97-liners
Composed of K-pop boy group members born in 1997, the 97-liner friend group includes BTS’ Jungkook, ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo, GOT7’s Yugyeom and Bambam, SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu, The8, and DK, and NCT’s Jaehyun. The hottest male idols of the 3rd-generation K-pop, this friend group is popular for having the top main visuals. They regularly meet in small groups and share photos of their gatherings with fans.
OhJungPark
OhJungPark stands for the last names of Oh Hayoung, Jung Yerin, and Park Sooyoung. Starting as classmates at Seoul Performing Arts High School (SOPA), APINK’s Hayoung, former GFRIEND’s Yerin, and Red Velvet’s Joy were already close friends before they became idols. Even after debuting, they continue to support each other by attending special events or sending food trucks.
9879s
This friendship group, consisting of K-pop idols born in 1998, includes SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan, ASTRO’s Moonbin, VIVIZ’s SinB and Umji, former UNI.T’s Suji, and IMFACT’s Ungjae. Their group name “9879s” signifies 98-liners who are friends, since 7 and 9 are read as “chil” and “gu” in Korean and sound similar to “Chingu,” which means friends.
They’re often seen bonding together and supporting each other’s activities like concerts. The group appeared on broadcasts together, like the YouTube show MMTG and Naver NOW’s “Aven-girls,” which recorded one of its highest ratings after the group guested.
00z
Composed of K-pop idols who were same-aged friends and classmates at Seoul Performing Arts School and Hanlim Arts High School, this friend group includes ASTRO’s Sanha, Golden Child’s Bomin, AB6IX’s Daehwi, Stray Kids’ Hyunjin, and some members of The Boyz. They once performed on a year-end stage for KBS’ Music Bank. Though Daehwi was born in 2001, he’s close with this friend group because they were in the same year level at school.
Padding Squad
Consisting of K-pop idols Wanna One’s Ha Sungwoon, SHINee’s Taemin, EXO’s Kai, BTS’ Jimin, former VIXX’s Ravi, and Hotshot’s Timoteo, this friendship group enjoys doing things together like eating out, playing games, and going on trips. With a logo they designed together, each member owns a matching padded coat gifted by Taemin. This earned their group the name “Padding Squad.” Unlike the others, they have different ages but were connected through their mutual friends.
These K-pop idol friend groups inspire fans with the support they give each other. They connect through their similar experiences as trainees, joint performances, and group dynamics. Hopefully, you can also find strength and joy from friendships such as theirs.
