Top 10 Female K-pop Idols Under 16 in 2026

Several active female K-pop idols in 2026 debuted while still in their early teens. Here are some of the youngest idols currently active in the industry.

1. Seoyun (BURVEY)

Seoyun, born Jin Seoyoon (진서윤) on June 22, 2012, is the maknae and vocalist of BURVEY. She began taking dance lessons at age seven and joined the group in June 2022. She debuted on November 6, 2024, at age 12, as part of the restructured children’s group BURVEY (버비) through the ON1 Rookies project. At the time of debut, the group’s average age was around 13, with Seoyun as the youngest.

2. Roah (KIIRAS)

Roah, born Kim Ha-jeong (김하정) on October 16, 2011, is the main vocalist and maknae of the six-member girl group KIIRAS under LeanBranding. Before debuting, she was a traditional Korean music artist, trained in gayageum (a 12-string zither) and pansori (a traditional Korean vocal genre), and had performed at Gugak Hanmadang on KBS and appeared in the JTBC drama “The Atypical Family” in 2024. Roah debuted on May 29, 2025, at age 13.

3. Kim Minjeong (YOUNGEST)

Kim Minjeong, born August 19, 2011, was announced as a fifth-generation member of YOUNGEST in April 2024. On February 4, 2026, she made her first official appearance on a group release with the single “Night Long.” She had previously been the group’s maknae until Ko Sejin joined in early 2025. She debuted at age 14 as part of YOUNGEST (영기스트), a kids group active since 2016 under 4D Label.

4. Kim Rayul (Up To You)

Kim Rayul, born October 4, 2011, had already established herself as a child actress before entering K-pop, with roles in “Squid Game,” “20th Century Girl,” “Love and Leashes,” and “Our Beloved Summer.” She had also trained at KIANA Entertainment and OZ Entertainment. She debuted on January 17, 2023, at age 11, as the maknae of the project group Up To You. At the time of debut, all other members were over 20, with the oldest being 14 years her senior.

5. Seowon (UNIS)

Lim Seowon (임서원), born January 27, 2011, in Songpa, Seoul, is the main vocalist and maknae of UNIS. She had previously pursued a career in trot (a traditional Korean music genre popular with older generations), releasing the solo single “Shoulder Dance” in April 2021 at age 9. She had also appeared on the music show Miss Trot 2 in December 2020. Seowon debuted with UNIS on March 27, 2024, at age 12, becoming the youngest female K-pop idol to debut in 14 years, reportedly breaking the previous record held by BoA (Kwon Bo-ah).

6. Kya (KiiiKiii)

Park Ji-woo (박지우), known by the stage name Kya (키야), was born on December 18, 2010. She previously trained at Source Music and completed a short trainee period of around three months at P NATION. She also worked as a child model and studied traditional Korean dance at Yewon Middle School before leaving the school. She debuted on March 24, 2025, at age 14, as a member of KiiiKiii (키키) under Starship Entertainment.

7. Ye-on (Hearts2Hearts)

Kim Na-yeon (김나연), known by the stage name Ye-on (예온), was born on April 19, 2010. She joined SM Entertainment through DM casting while in sixth grade and trained for two years before debuting. She auditioned with Jessie J’s “Price Tag.” She debuted on February 24, 2025, at age 14, as a member of Hearts2Hearts (하츠투하츠) under SM Entertainment.

8. SeoAh (tripleS)

Jeong Ha-erin (정해린), known by the stage name SeoAh (서아), was born on June 11, 2010, and is the maknae of tripleS. She uses a stage name rather than her real name because it was too similar to that of fellow member Jeong HyeRin, following a fan vote. SeoAh practiced taekwondo from a young age and earned a second-degree black belt, but skipped the exam for her third degree in order to debut. MODHAUS first approached her in 2023, but she declined; the company reached out again in 2024 via Instagram and she agreed. She debuted on May 8, 2024, at age 13, as a member of tripleS (트리플에스) under MODHAUS. In September 2025, she was voted by fans into the sub-unit Neptune.

9. Evelli (YG NEXT MONSTER)

Evellia Woo Ruiz (이벨리아 우 루이스), known by the stage name Evelli (이벨리), was born on March 29, 2010, and holds Australian citizenship. Her mother is Korean and her father is Nicaraguan. She speaks English, Korean, and Spanish, and was previously a member of the Australian dance cover team FlameCrew before training at YG Entertainment for two years. YG introduced her through a cover video of American rapper Doechii’s “Nosebleeds,” which reached 1.2 million views in under 11 hours. As of publication, Evelli has not officially debuted, with YG NEXT MONSTER expected to launch in 2027.

10. Ian (Hearts2Hearts)

Jeong Lee-an (정이안), known by the stage name Ian (이안), was born on October 9, 2009, which coincides with Hangul Day in South Korea (the anniversary of the Korean alphabet). She was discovered by SM through a DM on Instagram, joined the company on October 15, 2022, and trained for three to four years before debuting. The first song she sang at her audition was “Let It Go” from the animated film Frozen. She independently studied for and passed the equivalency exams for both middle school and high school. She debuted on February 24, 2025, at age 15, holding the position of center in Hearts2Hearts from the group’s launch.