After a two-week voting period, Forbes Korea finally announced the rankings of the 10 brightest idol groups who shone the brightest in 2023!

This year, various K-pop artists - from BTS to NCT -  led the "Hallyu Craze" and showed fierce competition against other stars to win the No. 1 music show title every week, and it was a desire when various groups got their desired results.

In particular, a No. 1 win from a music show is considered to be a huge and significant indicator to measure the popularity and recognition of singers. This determines that a singer who just released a new song caught a positive response from the public.

ALSO READ: K-pop Group Debut Songs With Most Music Show Wins in History 

From September 27 to October 11, Forbes Korea in collaboration with Idol Champ nominated artists with a winning history in 2023 music broadcasts to determine the No. 1 artist who shone best this year.

The candidates were BTS, NCT Dream, NCT 127, BLACKPINK, The Boyz, STAYC, IVE, aespa, NewJeans, EXO, SHINee, ZEROBASEONE (ZB1), SEVENTEEN - BSS, Stray Kids, SEVENTEEN, ATEEZ, TXT, LE SSERAFIM, TWICE and (G)I-DLE.

BTS Crowned No. 1 Brightest K-pop Star in 2023

BTS proved their unprecedented status as the "biggest boy group in the world" after sitting atop the Top 10. They are now known for their unimaginable records may it be in domestic or foreign markets, but ARMYs still feel nostalgic when talking about BTS's first-ever music show win in 2015 with "I NEED U."

In the same year, BTS was recognized overseas, and the music video for "Dope" surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, creating overseas fandom.

Since then, their popularity at home and abroad escalated more in 2016, winning their first daesangs from MMA and MAMA.

In 2019, BTS became the first singer to win all the awards at the Melon Music Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards, and Golden Disc Awards.

Top 10 K-pop Groups Who Shone the Brightest in 2023: NCT Dream, NCT 127, EXO, SHINee, More!

Following BTS, SM Entertainment boy groups dominated the Top 5, having NCT DREAM and NCT 127, both sub-units of the large-scale team NCT, ranked second and third places, respectively.

In July, NCT Dream became a triple-million seller with their third studio album, "ISTJ." They also made various songs from the album that went viral including "Broken Melodies" and "Yogurt Shake."

NCT 127 then released two best-selling albums this 2023 with its 4th repackage album, "Ay-Yo," and fifth studio album, "Fact Check."

EXO and SHINee, who just made their complete comeback in 2023 after members' military enlistment, also made it into the top five, respectively.

[FULL LIST] Top 10 K-pop Groups Who Shone Brightest in 2023

1. BTS
2. NCT Dream
3. NCT 127
4. EXO
5. SHINee
6. ZEROBASEONE
7. SEVENTEEN - BSS
8. Stray Kids
9. SEVENTEEN
10. ATEEZ

READ MORE: 10 K-pop Acts With Highest Pure Album Sales for 1H 2023— Who's #1?

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Written by Eunice Dawson.