Plave’s Yejun tops Picnic’s first-half male star chart

Virtual idol boy band Plave’s Yejun topped the male star category of Picnic’s first-half chart. Picnic is a K-pop themed fan-voting platform.

In the poll, which ran from July 15 through 29, Yejun ranked first with 521,773 votes. Alpha Drive One’s Rio ranked second with 516,414 votes, followed by AHOF’s JL in third with 488,358 votes.

Plave is a five-member virtual boy band. Since its debut in 2023, the group has rapidly expanded its fandom, leading the popularization of virtual idols and the expansion of the virtual idol market, according to Picnic, a fan-voting platform.

Yejun, the leader and main vocalist of Plave, is in charge of the group’s music production and plays a key role in establishing Plave’s musical identity, according to the platform.

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“The results of this chart can also be interpreted as an indicator that the market’s perception of virtual idols is changing,” a Picnic spokesperson said.

“Rather than the virtual format itself, the quality of music and content, the individual abilities of the members and their relationship with their fandom are becoming key criteria for evaluating an artist’s brand.”

Plave is set to kick off its first world tour since its debut at Incheon Munhak Stadium in Incheon on Sept. 12. The virtual group will also visit Kanagawa in Japan; Kaohsiung in Taiwan; Bangkok in Thailand; Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan and Macau.

Picnic hosts weekly polls on a wide range of K-pop topics in collaborations with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Participation in the polls is available through Picnic’s official website and mobile app.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]