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.
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.
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