EXO, Big Bang And Super Junior Named Top K-Pop Idol Groups In China According To Fan Club Rankings

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With over 2.4 million fans in the official fan cafe as of August 23, EXO has almost 1 million more fans than the runner up, Big Bang. Big Bang had a little over 1.5 million fans at the time of the ranking.

Super Junior came in third place, followed by TVXQ and 2PM. EXO is the only group in the top five to have debuted after 2008. EXO debuted in 2011.

The group's popularity in China is largely in part due to a dual-release concept, where the group releases albums in both Korean and Chinese.

EXO originally debuted as two groups, with EXO-M promoted in China while EXO-K focused on the Korean market. The popularity of EXO led to SM Entertainment combining the subunits for promotions.

The top ten was rounded out by SHINee, CNBLUE, INFINITE, Shinhwa, and WINNER. WINNER is the most recent group on the list. The group debuted in 2014 under YG Entertainment.

EXO's success comes at a time when there is concern regarding the group's future in China, due to the departure of three Chinese members.

Former EXO-M leader Kris, vocalist Luhan, and dancer Tao departed EXO in 2014 and 2015.

Each member has filed lawsuits against SM Entertainment and pursued solo careers in China.

EXO released the single "Love Me Right" in July, and announced that the group will make a debut in Japan by the end of this year. ---

Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy and Noisey.