BTS’ RM, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, Cha Eun-woo among 2025 Asia-Pacific U30 Outstanding Young Leaders honoured at APEC Summit

BTS’ RM, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, Cha Eun-woo among 2025 Asia-Pacific U30 Outstanding Young Leaders honoured at APEC Summit

In a remarkable highlight from the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, several of Asia’s most influential young stars earned a spot on the prestigious 2025 Asia-Pacific U30 Outstanding Young Leaders list. The list, announced by the Asia-Pacific Entrepreneurs Association on November 1, celebrates 143 individuals under the age of 30 who are shaping the future across industries like arts, sports, business, tech, and academia.

Notable among the honourees are BTS leader RM, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, rising actress Kim Hye-yoon, and actor-singer Cha Eun-woo.

RM’s recognition comes on the heels of a historic milestone. He made headlines earlier this week for becoming the first K-pop artist to serve as a keynote speaker at an APEC Summit. Addressing international policymakers and innovators on October 29, RM delivered an impactful speech about the evolution of Korean pop culture. “K-Pop is not just a genre of music, it is a 360 degrees total package of music, dance, performance, visual style, storytelling, music video, and even social media,” he said.

Kim Hyeyoon recognized as one of the 143 outstanding young leaders in the Asia-Pacific region at APEC 2025 👏🥳 pic.twitter.com/lPSpZvX7V6

— leux (@syalleux) November 3, 2025

OMG, Win Metawin has been honored on the 2025 #AsiaPacificU30 Outstanding Young Leaders list. This recognition aims to honor young individuals who have shown exceptional innovation and leadership in advancing the Asia-Pacific region’s economic and social growth🥹❤️‍🔥#winmetawinpic.twitter.com/SkhML4kqVN — FAIRY ☻🧚🏻‍♀️🐰💗 (@_fairy301_) November 3, 2025

The lists for the Asia-Pacific Leaders Under 30 and Asia-Pacific Leaders Under 35 for 2025 were unveiled on November 1 during the APEC Summit. 🌏✨ Chinese Olympic champions like Wang Chuqin, Zheng Qinwen, and Zhang Yufei made the U30 list; and Chengdu-born actress Zhao Lusi was… pic.twitter.com/Id62BUuYXZ

— Chengdu China (@Chengdu_China) November 3, 2025

Alongside Korean stars, other regional and global names were also honoured, including Thai actors Win Metawin and Bright Vachirawit, Hollywood icon Zendaya, and Chinese talents Zhao Lusi, Zhang Linghe, Wang Anyu, and Zhang Zifeng. Fans from across the world flooded social media in celebration, driving hashtags and posts trending with over 110,000 engagements on X.