According to Hankyoreh, a body index survey indicated that “adult Korean men had an average height of 172.5 cm, and adult Korean women had an average height of 159.6 cm, respectively.” You’ll find that many of the K-Pop stars featured on this list are below average height, as far as these statistics are concerned. O21’s Lina (Myoui Rina) stands as the tallest female K-pop idol at 178cm (5’10”), which still doesn’t come close to rapper Uiyeon, belonging to the GreatGuys boy band, who stands at 192cm (6’3″).
Needless to say, we shouldn’t equate height with talent; as the saying goes, “big things come in small packages.” And over the years, we’ve seen nothing but big things from these gifted musicians. They may get teased from time to time by their taller bandmates, but never these pint-sized powerhouses. They refuse to fade into the background, no matter how much of a height disadvantage they may have.
1. SEVENTEEN’s Woozi (162 cm / 5’4″)
South Korean songwriter and producer Woozi (Lee Ji-hoon) is a member of the boy band SEVENTEEN, along with 12 other members; S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino. SEVENTEEN debuted on in May 2015 with the EP 17 Carat and the group is considered self-producing, as all members are in some way involved with songwriting, music production, and choreographing. As a child, Woozi studied classical music and learned to play the clarinet. He is currently 26 years old, born on November 22, 1996 in Busan, South Korea.
2. iKON’s Jay (162 cm / 5’4″)
Jay, formerly known as Jinhwan, is the current Leader, main vocalist, and lead dancer of the boy band iKON — comprising Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, Ju-ne and Chan. During middle school, he moved to the Philippines for 7 months, where he learned Filipino and English. Often named as a successor to Taeyang, who is regarded as one of the best vocalists in all of South Korea, Jay joined YG Entertainment in 2011, eventually debuting with iKON four years later. After B.I’s departure in 2019, Jay took over as leader of iKon, as agreed upon by the other members. He’s expected to make his solo debut this year before entering military service. Jay is 29 years old, born on 7 February 1994 in Jeju Island, South Korea.
3. IZ*ONE’s Nako (144cm / 4’9″)
Nako Yabuki, simply known as Nako, is a former member of the Japanese girl group HKT48 and South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One. After competing on the television show Produce 48, Nako was selected — among with 11 others — to form Iz*One. Nako works as a model for the monthly fashion magazine Love Berry and even starred as young Minami Asakura in the film Touch. In April 2021, Nako’s contract with Iz*One expired, so she returned to Japan, where she has been pursuing a career as an actress. Nako is 21 years old, born on 18 June 2001 in Tokyo, Japan.
4. Red Velvet’s Wendy (157 cm / 5’2″)
Shon Seung-wan, known as Wendy, is a member of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet; she debuted as a member in August 2014. Seven years later, in 2021, she made her solo debut with the EP Like Water. Wendy is currently hosting the radio program Wendy’s Youngstreet, but she previously appeared on the reality show We Got Married, variety show Trick & True, and even the comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live Korea. From a young age, Wendy knew she wanted to be a singer; she is also able to play several instruments, including the piano, guitar, flute, and saxophone. Wendy is 29 years old, born on February 21, 1994 in Seoul, South Korea.
5. Wanna One’s Ha Sung Woon (162 cm / 5’4″)
Sungwoon is a former member of the boy group Hotshot and a current member of Wanna One, along with Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yoon Ji-sung, Hwang Min-hyun, Bae Jin-young. He is also a solo artist who released his first EP My Moment in 2019. Sungwoon served his mandatory military service in October 2022. His latest single, “Focus,” also released in 2022. Sungwoon is 29 years old, born on March 22, 1994 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
6. Block B’s Taeil (162 cm / 5’4″)
Lee Tae-il, known simply as Taeil, is the main vocalist of Block B and is part of the T2u sub-unit with fellow South-Korean singer U-Kwon. Prior to joining Block B, Taeil competed on MBC’s Star Audition 1. In 2017, Taeil performed two solo concerts in Tokyo, then performed his first solo concert in Korea the following year. In 2020, Taeil complete his mandatory military service and was discharged. He is 32 years old, born on September 24, 1990 in Seoul, South Korea.
7. Girls’ Generation’s Sunny (154 cm / 5’1″)
In 2007, Sunny (Susan Soonkyu Lee) debuted as a member of Girls’ Generation. She has become one of the best-selling female Korean artists as well as a member of one of the best-selling K-Pop girl groups. Her father was in a college band, which influenced her to become a singer. Sunny’s father is the founder and former CEO of SM Entertainment, the company under which she was a trainee for five years. Initially, Sunny’s height was rumored to be 5’2″, but it was later revealed that she is in fact 5’1″. Sunny is 34 years old, born on May 15, 1989 in Orange County, California.
8. (G) I-DLE’s Soyeon (154 cm / 5’1″)
Soyeon, the leader and rapper of the girl group (G)I-dle, first gained attention for competing in the television shows Produce 101 and Unpretty Rapstar before launching her solo career in 2017. As a child, Soyeon was home-schooled and studied ballet, but she later quit to pursue a career in music after seeing Big bang perform. At one point in time, she also performed as a street dancer. Media outlets have called Soyeon an Alpha Girl for her success as a rapper, singer, and songwriter. Soyeon is 24 years old, born on August 26, 1998 in Seoul, South Korea.
9. PENTAGON’s Jinho (165 cm / 5’5″)
Jo Jin-ho, aka Jinho, is a jack-of-all-trades singer, lyricist, dancer, composer, and vocal coach. He is also one of nine members of the boy group PENTAGON. At the age of 15, he lived in Qingdao, China, for eight months before moving back to South Korea. Aside from his work with PENTAGON, Jinho was a contestant on a number of variety shows, namely Pentagon Maker, King of Mask Singer, and Phantom Singer. In 2018, he performed his first-ever mini live concert as part of Magazine Ho‘s cover song project, then returned for two consecutive years for “Mini Live Magazine Ho Vol.2 – Ready Ho” and “Mini Live Magazine Ho Vol.3 – Off Stage,” respectively. Jinho is 31 years old, born on April 17, 1992 in Bucheon, South Korea.
10. Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon (157 cm / 5’2″)
In 2007, Taeyeon debuted as a member of Girls’ Generation, alongside bandmates Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Taeyeon released her debut EP, titled I, in 2015, reaching number one on South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart. Her debut studio album, My Voice, was released two years later. She is currently one of the best-selling solo artists in South Korea, along with her bandmate Sunny. Her father didn’t encourage her to become a singer from the get-go, but after hearing her incredible voice, the school principal persuaded him to give her a chance. Taeyeon is 34 years old, born on March 9, 1989 in Jeonju, North Jeolla, South Korea.