South Korea has become a hotspot for new and emerging virtual influencers. Since early innovators like Apoki and Rozy first proved the model of a Korean virtual influencer, many have followed suit.
It should come as no surprise that digital beings are becoming increasingly popular in a country where even mainstream K-Pop groups like “aespa” are embracing virtual avatars.
We’ve previously investigated the rise of virtual influencers in other countries like China and Brazil. Now, we’re taking a closer look at how Korean virtual influencers are making their mark at home and worldwide.
1. APOKI — 3.9M
The most popular virtual influencer from South Korea is the cartoonish rabbit and K-Pop star Apoki. First appearing in 2019, she was the first virtual influencer from Korea and an early innovator of the space.
2. Lechat — 3.1M
Lechat was created by VV Entertainment, the same production company behind Apoki. Despite debuting almost two years after Apoki, she has already risen to a similar level of fame. Both characters are known for their advanced animation, adorable appearance and performance of song and dance covers.
3. Rozy — 127k
Rozy Oh was the first hyperrealistic virtual influencer to come from South Korea. Her nickname is “GamSeong JangIn,” which translates from Korean into “expression expert,” a comment on her expressive face in Instagram photos.
4. Rina — 125k
Rina was created by Metaverse Entertainment in 2021. She is managed by Sublime, a top talent agency in Korea, and is often photographed with other stars from the agency. Her TikTok profile is her most popular account, with over 100,000 followers.
5. Eternity — 95k
Eternity is an AI girl group with 11 members. Each girl has a unique character type and an AI deepfake face overlaid on a human actor.
6. Rui — 79k
Rui is a virtual YouTuber whose channel “RuiCovery” has over 61,000 subscribers. She uploads a new video every Friday and produces a wide range of content from song covers to ASMR and much more.
7. Lucy — 74k
Lucy is a virtual influencer who has frequently worked with the Korean brand conglomerate Lotte. She has recently expanded into the NFT industry.
8. Theo — 34k
Theo is the first half-Brazilian, half-Korean virtual influencer and the only male on our list. He is bilingual and posts captions in both Portuguese and Korean, uniting fans from across the globe.
9. Sua — 33k
Sua is a virtual influencer from Seoul, South Korea, who has recently worked with the skincare brand Papa Recipe, WAAC golf and OTR colored contact lenses.
10. Han YuA — 32k
Last but not least is Han YuA, a character from the VR game “Focus on You” and brought to life as a virtual influencer by Smilegate. She was recently signed with the premier Korean talent agency YG KPlus. Her debut single, “I Like That,” already has over 7 million views on YouTube.
Make sure to check out our coverage of virtual influencers in China and Brazil as well if you’re interested in learning more about regional impact on the industry. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The Splice to learn more about the virtual influencer industry at large.
