Korea is currently in its girl idol group phase, but what is the reason for the boom in popularity?

The reasons behind the immense popularity of girl idol groups range from their simple concepts to their catchy songs, from their individual talents to their eye-catching performances. However, there seems to be one more interesting reason behind many female idols’ fame.

Osen recently pointed out that cute members of female groups tend to generate widespread interest and bump up a group’s popularity singlehandedly. Every member has their own individual role in the group, and every group has a member in charge of being the ‘cute’ one. In Korea, fans call this certain member “Kui-yo-mi (귀요미),” meaning “the girl with the cute image (귀여운 이미지를 가진 이).”  This member is in charge of garnering fanboy love with her cute/lovable/girly charm, which will result in a bigger fanbase for the group. In this report, Osen identified four girl group members that fit this role.

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