Top connections in the K-pop industry
Show business might work a bit differently from other industries but it's ruled by commercial logics after all; thus, networking is a determining factor when it comes to making it in the K-pop industry.
There are certain idols who seem to get along with everyone, including influential people in the industry. Some of these idols obtain these connections through their label, some of them are personal friends and some just seem to come by randomly.
Media outlet Dispatch and JD Visual Dive has uncovered some of the top connected idols in the industry.
Big Bang's G-Dragon tops the list with his countless friends in the K-pop industry, including Jo Kwon, Jun.J, Jay Park, Shin Se Kyung, Yoo Eun Hye, among others. He also has connections abroad. Among his foreign friends, there are extremely successful artists such as Will Smith, Missy Elliott, Flo Rida and Justin Bieber. K-pop celebrities also need to look after their style and G-Dragon knows this. That is why he is also well-connected in the fashion industry; for instance, he is friends with Le Soo Hyuk.
2NE1's CL comes second in the list. CL is also friends with a lot of K-poppers such as Sohee, Nicole, Mir, Hyoyeon and Min. She also has a brilliant selection of international friends such as Kanye West, Will.I.Am and Jeremy Scott.
BoA is the veteran in this list. He has been in the K-pop industry for the longest and she has friends in every corner of the South Korean entertainment world, hidden or not. Most people know she is close friends with Lee Hyori and Kahi, but she is also friends with actors such as Yoo Hae Jin, Lee Jun Ki, Jang Hyuk, and Shin Se Kung. Her international links would turn anyone green with envy. She has connections to divas like Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears and Koda Kumi.