Let’s face it, when you first got into KPOP, you probably tried to find your favorite group. Which, actually, wasn’t so hard because there are so many groups to choose from. The hard part? It was to figure out each member’s name and who was who, and of course, the larger the group, the harder it was to differentiate one another. Then we have what I like to call the face of the group. The first member in the group that you’re most likely to remember. The one that you would associate the group with. The one who is seen predominantly in the middle, talked about the most, shows their face a lot, featured a lot on variety shows, does crazy antics, and so forth. And that’s how you know the group. So let’s see which male idols were the first one you knew of in each group thanks to their exposure.

(Disclaimer: I arbitrarily ranked the idols because I hate ranking.)

12. MBLAQ’s Lee Joon
Ah, Lee Joon. The comedian of MBLAQ. The crazy one. Least, that’s what I thought of him when I first saw him in Shin PD’s Variety World. Ah, his smelly head. Oh, crazy as in good crazy. He was a bit weird to me, but he’s definitely an interesting character.

11. CNBLUE’s Yonghwa
Yonghwa’s claim to fame was his first ever drama, You’re Beautiful. His character, Shin Woo, was dubbed the second JiHoo sunbae and he instantly rose to fame. Thanks to him, his group became more well-known (at the time, CNBLUE was an indie band performing in Japan). His good looks and voice have attributed to the group’s success as well and you would definitely think of Yonghwa first.

10. FT Island’s Hongki
Like labelmate Yonghwa, Hongki is relatively more well-known than his bandmates. Actually, he’s one you hear about most from his group. He’s so active in dramas and his antics (along with Super Junior’s Heechul) that most have mistaken him to be the leader (heh, I’m guilty of that as well). His dorky and lovable personality have endeared him to many, though, and that’s why you’d probably remember him.

9. 2PM’s Nichkhun
The Thai Prince of 2PM. You know, I was strongly debating between Taecyeon and Nichkhun. And you know, most people would probably think that Taecyeon is the one that helps you remember 2PM. After all, he loves to rip off his shirt and is pretty beastly. But Nichkhun stands out pretty well. He sports a kind and gentle demeanor and his smile is pretty much to die for. You pretty much do hear about Nichkhun’s gentle exterior, which is why I think that his name is most associated with 2PM.

8. 2AM’s Jo Kwon
There is no doubt that when you think of 2AM, you think of Jo Kwon and vice versa. This idol is a riot. A laughing riot. His numerous kkap dances, imitations, and facial expressions make you laugh over and over again. Not only that, all havoc breaks out whenever he does one of his famous crazy imitations. Certainly, his personality doesn’t correspond with 2AM’s soulful songs.

7. U-KISS’ Kevin
My my. Probably one of the most feminine, if not the most feminine looking guy out there. U-KISS is comprised of different talented members and Kevin is no slouch either. He converses with fans on Twitter, can speak a few languages, and is always keeping KISS-MEs in his mind.

6. SHINee’s Minho
Flaming Charisma. Competitive child. Loyal hyungwhore. I think that describes Minho in a heartbeat. Not only that, but he’s good-looking to the point where even his members have voiced out their envy of his handsome looks. Minho may not have strong vocals, but he definitely works hard to be where he is right now. Without him, well, let’s just say that SHINee wouldn’t be the SHINee that Shawols have come to love today (the same for any member in any group, actually).

5. BEAST’s Yoseob
This was another toughie. Technically, all of the members have their own back stories that would help fans associate the members with the group. I chose Yoseob not just because he has amazing vocals, but for his fun and dorky, yet serious personality. He can act all cute (which isn’t hard with his baby face), but can turn serious when he wants (think of his Twitter and tweets regarding certain issues).

4. JYJ’s Jaejoong
It’s flower boy time! Actually, this one was hard as well. Jaejoong is talented - he can sing, dance, act, direct, compose, and write songs. It’s amazing at just how many talents he has. Not to mention his good looks. He was actually the first member that I memorized from DBSK. Curses, Jaejoong, for looking so pretty (but hey, it helps).

3. BIG BANG’s G-Dragon
G-Dragon is one pretty unique character. (In fact, the entire lot of BIG BANG is.) Truth is, GD is not afraid to cross any boundaries. He knows no limits. He truly is an artistic and creative person and he has a bold sense of fashion as well. He’s one of the more charismatic leaders and his solo debut album was one of the best selling albums of 2009. That has to say something about him, right? And how people know instantly that he represents BIG BANG.

2. SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong
I actually discovered SS501 through Kim Hyun Joong. My first time seeing him was in the drama Boys over Flowers. Funny story - my friend pointed to her BoF poster and asked me which of the F4 I thought was the hottest. Not knowing any of them (this was right before I really got into KPOP), I just chose Kim Hyun Joong, which surprised my friend (she thought I would’ve chosen Lee Minho but y’know, his curly hair…). Anyhow, I could recognize Kim Hyun Joong fine by himself, but put him with his group and it was a nightmare. He looked like maknae Kim Hyung Joon and Kim Kyu Jong. But his popularity has only boosted the success of SS501 and that’s who I associate SS501 with.

1. Super Junior’s Heechul
This one was pretty tricky. Siwon has quite a bit of exposure (I suppose both figuratively and literally) with his good looks, strong build, and charming personality. You would think that he’d be the face, the one you would think of first when it comes down to Super Junior. But, I think Heechul fits it the best. Heechul himself has nice feminine features, but his crazy antics and blunt personality have allowed him to speak whatever is on his mind and to do anything that he wants. And because of that, Heechul is the first one to come to mind when I think of Super Junior. Sorry, Shisus. Your chocolate abs can’t compare to Heechul’s wild, fun personality.

With the exception of Kim Hyun Joong at #2, the Top 5 was pretty tough to narrow down to just one member from each group. It’s just because of their different personalities and skills and talents! So, what did you of this list this time? Was it everything that you expected? Or were you thinking of other people that fit the “face” of the group? Let us know in the comments!