BTS, Cho Seong-jin make Forbes’ ’30 Under 30 Asia’ list in entertainment

The seven members of BTS pose during a press conference and agreement ceremony for “Love Myself,” UNICEF’ new project with BTS, in Seoul. Korean Committee for UNICEF via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

K-pop group BTS and rising classical pianist Cho Seong-jin have been named among Asia’s 30 most influential people under the age of 30 in entertainment and sports this year.

BTS and Cho were included in Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia” list in the entertainment and sports category, which was published on the US magazine’s website Tuesday (local time).

The other Korean stars included on the list were actress Ahn Seo-hyun, figure skater You Young, skeleton gold medalist Yun Sung-bin, LPGA golfer Park Sung-hyun and professional climber Kim Ja-in. North Korean footballer Han Kwong-song also made the list.

Forbes described BTS as having “cracked the notoriously competitive US market,” referencing the band becoming the first K-pop act to perform at the American Music Awards, in November of last year. The K-pop sensation enjoyed massive success last year, with its EP, “Love Yourself: Her,” having sold over 1.49 million copies since September.

For Cho, the magazine explained how his recorded performance at the 2015 Chopin Piano Competition gained popularity worldwide, including in Poland, the birthplace of composer Fredric Chopin.