Gallup Korea names BTS as the ‘Best National Singer' of the 21st century in its latest survey

News 1 reported that Bangtan Sonyeondan aka BTS won the "Best National Singer" of the 21st century, according to the online survey of Gallup Korea. In honor of its 20th anniversary, Star News held an online poll by Gallup Korea from August 19 to August 23.

The study was open to 1,052 men and women in the country between the ages of 19 and 69. At the end of the survey, the K-pop powerhouse received 43% of the vote to win the title of "Best National Singer/Group."

South Korean singer-songwriter and one of the legendary artists of South Korea, Cho Yong-pil, was ranked No. 2 on the online survey. Furthermore, Lee Ji-eun, aka IU, soloist and actress, ranked No. 3 on the list. While Jeong Hyeon-cheol, aka Seo Taeji—who is accredited for establishing the K-pop industry in 1991—ranked No. 8 on the list.

Here is the entire list of the South Korean artists and groups who were ranked in the Top 10:

1. BTS
2. Cho Yong-pil
3. IU
4. Lim Young-woong
5. Na Hoon-ah
6. BLACKPINK
7. Lee Mija
8. Seo Taeji
9. Girls’ Generation
10. g.o.d

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More about BTS' global accolades over a decade

Time magazine called BTS the "Princes of Global Pop" and included them among the year's 100 most influential persons in April 2019. They debuted on the Global Artist Chart in 2018 and were the first non-English speaking artist to rank second globally in terms of sales across all media channels, coming second to Drake.

Being the first K-pop group to win Top Duo/Group at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, the boy band won the Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist every year since 2017. In 2021, they achieved their first No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 entry with their English single Dynamite.

With a total of 12 victories, they are the most-awarded group in BBMA history as of 2022. Additionally, they are the first K-pop group to have won two American Music Awards: Favorite Social Artist and Favorite Duo or Group - Pop/Rock.

In 2020, the K-pop sensation won the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year award, making history as the first non-Western, non-English speaking artist to do so.

They are both the first Korean pop act and artist to be nominated for both a Brit Award and a Grammy Award. The K-pop group has won over 525 combined awards in South Korea and internationally.

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In other news, BTS' j-hope, Namjoon aka RM, Jimin, Jungkook, Taehyung (V), and Suga are currently serving their mandatory enlistment in the South Korean military. j-hope is set to return in October 2024 while the rest will return in June 2025. BTS' Jin was already discharged from the military on June 12, 2024.