These K-pop Sibling Duos Prove They Have “Idol Genes” Running in the Family

K-pop fans love to joke about how “this idol and that idol look like they could be siblings!”—ITZY’s Yeji and Stray Kids’ Hyunjin might be one of the most famous examples of this fandom trend, so much so that they’re even nicknamed “the Hwang twins” even though they’re most definitely not related. 

That doesn’t mean that there are no idol siblings, though—sometimes the “pop sensation” genes do run in a family, and through the various generations of K-pop there has been quite a number of sibling duos that have taken the stage by storm. So let’s take a look at some of them!

Jessica and Krystal Jung

Both signed under SM Entertainment, the Jung sisters have definitely left their mark on K-pop history by debuting in two of the most successful girl groups of all time. Jessica, born in 1989 and the oldest of the two, debuted in 2007 as the main vocalist of Girls’ Generation, also known as SNSD and dubbed during their career as “the nation’s girl group”. Krystal, born in 1994, stepped up to the stage a couple of years later as the face of f(x). Even though both groups are no longer active, the impact Jessica and Krystal have had on the genre can’t be denied.

Lee Chanhyuk and Suhyun

Not only a brother-sister duo, but the Lee siblings are also a music duo as well. Together they form the act Akdong Musician, usually known as AKMU, which debuted in 2014 under YG Entertainment. Chanhyuk, the oldest, is the group’s main rapper, while his younger sister Suhyun is in charge of the duo’s vocals. In 2020, Suhyun also debuted as a soloist with the uber-cute single “Alien”.

Sandara and Sanghyun Park

Sandara Park might be more familiar to the K-pop community when called by her stage name, Dara—she debuted in 2009 as the vocalist and visual of YG Entertainment’s revolutionary girl group 2NE1, creator of iconic bops like “I Am the Best” and “FIRE”. This article isn’t the right place to start my gushing about how without 2NE1 K-pop girl groups wouldn’t be the same they are today but know that it’s one of the many speeches I could deliver without a moment’s notice. Sandara’s younger brother Sanghyun also had his run as an idol, taking up the stage name Thunder and debuting in the boy group MBLAQ in 2009 as a lead rapper and dancer.  

Huening Kai and Bahiyyih

The careers of Huening Kai and his younger sister Bahiyyih might not be the longest on this list, but their list of successes and their popularity would have you fooled. Kai is the maknae (read, the youngest member) of TOMORROW X TOGETHER, also known as TXT, BTS’ juniors and promoters of one of the most interesting concepts in the current panorama of boy groups (their discography is immaculate and truly something you should add to your playlist right about now). As for Bahiyyih, she participated in the survival show “Girls Planet 999” and won second place, assuring herself a spot in the group that was formed after the show, Kep1er. Kep1er’s first single “WA DA DA” gave the group its first music show win after just ten days from their debut.

Son Dongju and Dongmyeong

If being signed under the same entertainment company and debuting in the same year isn’t peak twins behavior then I don’t know what it is (admittedly I don’t have a twin, so feel free to tell me what is actually peak twins behavior). Twins Son Dongju and Son Dongmyeong both debuted in 2019 in two different RBW Entertainment groups—Dongju took up the stage name Xion as the visual of ONEUS, while Dongmyeong plays the keyboard in ONEWE. 

Han Sunhwa and Seungwoo

Two siblings for two different generations of K-pop. Sunhwa, the older of the two, debuted in 2009 in the now-dispanded girl group SECRET as its visual and vocalist. Her younger sibling Seungwoo actually was part of two groups—VICTON, where he debuted as the leader in 2016, and X1, formed after the survival show “Produce X 101”. Seungwoo was once again the leader, but X1 disbanded in 2020 after just one year of activity (following some serious scandals about voting during the show, but what else is new?)

Lee Chaeyeon and Chaeryeong

Another duo that everyone probably knows, the Lee sisters are dancing machines and all-around incredible idols to watch perform. Chaeyeon, the oldest of the two, debuted as the main dancer of IZ*ONE, the group formed after “Produce48,” the third edition of Mnet’s survival show “Produce 101” which has already popped up quite a bit throughout this list. The group has disbanded by now, and everyone is waiting to see where Chaeyeon’s career will go in the future. As for her younger sister Chaeryeong, she is also the main dancer in ITZY, TWICE’s juniors and JYP Entertainment’s foothold in the fourth generation. Please enjoy the sisters’ stunning dance stage at the 2020 KBS Song Festival.

Bonus: Jung Jiwoo and Hoseok

It’s true that not everything is about BTS, but this is a nice little fact to end this list with. Everyone knows who Jung Hoseok, or J-Hope, is—he’s part of the rap and dance lines in this little group called BTS. Jiwoo, his elder sister, has gained quite a bit of fame in her own right as a business owner and fashion influencer and she has also recently signed a contract with CUBE Entertainment, one of the major players in the K-pop industry—will she debut as a soloist? As an actress? Maybe a vlogger? No news has been released yet, but we can be sure there will be more Jung siblings content coming in the future.

(image: HYBE/BIGHIT, JYP Entertainment)

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Benedetta Geddo

Benedetta (she/her) lives in Italy and has been writing about pop culture and entertainment since 2015. She has considered being in fandom a defining character trait since she was in middle school and wasn't old enough to read the fanfiction she was definitely reading and loves dragons, complex magic systems, unhinged female characters, tragic villains and good queer representation. You’ll find her covering everything genre fiction, especially if it’s fantasy-adjacent and even more especially if it’s about ASOIAF. In this Bangtan Sonyeondan sh*t for life.

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