What does bias mean in K-pop?

BTS' V (Image via BTS/ Twitter)

The Hallyu wave has risen to great popularity over the years and as a result, the K-pop fan base has evolved, particularly in the past few years when many people became fascinated with Korean music, dramas, and movies. The pandemic also provided people with plenty of opportunities to binge-watch K-content.

Having to ask about someone's bias is a common conversation starter among fans. One should be aware of their bias while following a particular Korean pop group.

The term Bias in K-pop, also known as K-pop Bias, refers to your favorite idols within a group.

Bias is the first person one starts to notice when they first start following the group, the group member with the most appealing personality or the person whose vocals or dancing abilities fascinated you.

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How many K-pop biases one can have?

While some also claim that individuals could have just one bias for each group since having a bias entails being loyal to a particular idol. However, this is also subjective, as one can have an interpersonal connection to many idols. It's referred to as a bias list, which is a list of all your biases from all the groups you stan.

As an outcome, one can have multiple biases. This leads to a different type of bias known as OT7, which refers to fans who adore all seven members evenly and can't select a favorite among a group of seven.

The term OT7 stands for One True 7. Similarly, the terms OT5 and OT4 will be described in groups of 5 and 4 members respectively.

There are also words such as bias wrecker, ultimate, and ultimate wrecker with this and it becomes even more interesting for fans to identify. A bias wrecker wrecks your bias by drawing your interest even if they are not your original bias.

For instance, if your bias is BTS' Jimin, but Jungkook from BTS has recently caught your attention, then Jungkook is your bias wrecker. Fans may build the ultimate bias, which means one's favorite idol is not just among a single group, but also among all K-pop idol groups.

It depends on people who they choose as their bias, although many fans have highlighted that it's out of their control because the bias chooses you.

There are numerous terms in the K-pop vocabulary, and every fan usually knows most of them, demonstrating their inclination for the genre.

This vocabulary list also grows continuously because many of these words are created by the idols themselves, such as BTS V’s phrase "I purple you," which means I will trust and love you for a long time. The phrase has become one of the most well-known in the Korean music industry.