Here’s the K-Pop Idol with Your Myers-Briggs® Personality Type
Felix wants to travel the world and meet interesting people. Suga seems aloof and stoic, but donates billions of won to autism research. Sunwoo can hear a beat and end up inventing two people, their entire relationship, and a third person to narrate it. I started looking into K-pop idols’ personality types because I wanted to know what made them tick. Along the way I added dozens of new songs to my playlist and learned to appreciate just as many new artists!
As an MBTI® practitioner my method for profiling these artists is a little complex. I can’t necessarily sit across from them and conduct a session, although I’d love to. Instead, I watched dozens of hours of interviews and read probably over one hundred articles. In each piece of content, I looked at how each person took in information, made decisions, and spoke about what mattered to them. I’m not putting all of my research into this article because that would turn into more of a book than a quick read. But these are my interpretations, based on interviews, creative work, and stories from the members themselves. I’ve included reported questionnaire results where I have them, including cases where an idol got more than one result. For more on the individual members, you can also read my BTS personality profiles and Stray Kids personality profiles.
Not sure what your personality type is? Take our personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.
ISTJ: Choi Jungeun (izna)
Reported test result: ISTJ.
“If I have something that must be finished that day, I’ll stay until night to get it done. I don’t like leaving things unfinished.”
If Choi Jungeun plans a trip a week ahead, she can start shopping and organizing her bag that day. When she cooks, she likes to follow the recipe. She told Teen Vogue she pursues perfection while knowing how hard it is to be perfect when you’re a human being. Her attention to detail, perfectionism, and routine-oriented nature all fit well with the ISTJ personality type.
ISTJs tend to feel more at ease when they know what they can count on. They use a process called Introverted sensing (Si) which helps them create stability and consistency in their lives. Jungeun shows this in her consistent preferences; she always follows a meticulous skincare routine before bed, plans ahead of time, and wakes up early for a workout every day. Si is the part of you that references the past to avoid repeating a mistake. It’s also the part of you that feels best when routines and traditions give life consistency and meaning. I see both in the way Jungeun gets from “I’m going on a trip” to knowing what actually needs to go in the bag.
ISFJ: I.N and Seungmin (Stray Kids)
“I don’t like getting others to feel bad so I try not to show my negative feelings.” – I.N.
Seungmin has gotten ISFJ on a questionnaire. I.N also identified himself as ISFJ in a “MANIAC” reaction video.
I.N says he remembers where he came from and wants to keep the same attitude toward work even as Stray Kids become more successful. Lee Know said of Seungmin, “In regards to his responsibilities, if he has to do something, he’s always consistent.” This shows up in how he used to mark his breathing points, phrasing, and intended emotions on his lyric sheets. In his Rolling Stone UK interview, he describes making time for his diary before bed, even after an exhausting schedule. He uses it to sort through his thoughts, feelings, and what he learned that day. He regularly reviews his experiences and makes sense of them. While any type can do this, ISFJs are especially fond of carrying out their routines and rituals meticulously. They’re also the types who like to reflect on their day after it’s done rather than just move on to the next thing. This gives them a sense of inner steadiness that grounds them. The other members call Seungmin conscientious, polite, and routine-oriented.
I.N. is someone who carefully considers other people’s experience. The members describe him as well-mannered and polite, saying he struggles to say no because he wants everyone to be happy. In an interview he said, “I can’t stand watching us have a hard time.” He puts a lot of heart into what he does but, like many ISFJs, may struggle to identify and voice his own individual struggles and needs.
INFJ: Jacob Bae (THE BOYZ) and IU
“Open your mind before your mouth.” – IU
IU reported an INFJ questionnaire result.
Jacob wants to make music that comforts people. Fellow bandmate Juyeon describes him as someone who speaks carefully and sometimes catches the members off guard with the meaning tucked into what he says. IU keeps pictures from friends and fans in a special corner of her room because she thinks about the love, time, and effort that went into them. At The Golden Hour, she recreated that corner onstage.
INFJs look for meaning beneath the surface, and then ask how that meaning can reach someone else. They often speak in metaphor, focus on other people’s feelings, and improve the world by enriching relationships with depth. Rather than focus on surface details, they want everything they’re interested in to have some abstract conceptual significance.
Both of these performers are notably soft-spoken and humble, but they write moving lyrics like “Don’t forget, between the clouded darkness, you’re a star painted with the left hand. Can’t you see it?” (IU) or “I’m tired of trying to please every person I see. When I don’t know, when I don’t know, how do I make myself happy?” (Jacob).
Both IU and Jacob use a combination of metaphor and emotional exploration in their lyrics, creating bridges between themselves and their fans’ diverse experiences.
Jacob’s struggle with finding himself while trying to please others will be especially relatable to INFJs who often absorb others emotions and can struggle to prioritize themselves in life. When asked about the greatest lesson he’d learned as an idol he stated, “Being a person who can relate to every person differently. It really goes a long way. I feel like if I was to just be very narrow minded and think of everything in my perspective, I feel like there would have been a lot more trouble. But I’ve learned to adapt to each different person, each different situation, and that’s really helped me to avoid trouble and avoid conflicts and make the ride a lot smoother.”
INTJ: Min Yoongi a.k.a. Suga (BTS) and Lee Ji-Hoon a.k.a. Woozi (SEVENTEEN)
“I’m afraid of falling but I’m not afraid of landing.” – Min Yoongi (Suga)
I went back and forth between ISTP and INTJ for Suga. He’s private, technically skilled, and practical enough that I could see either one. What tipped me toward INTJ was hearing him talk about how much time he spent thinking about the future. “There was a point in my life when I promised myself to think less about it. To focus on the present.” As an INTJ, I know the feeling of having to remind yourself that your life is also happening right now.
He also consistently talks about dreams, having a vision, and struggling to make time for leisure. These are all more consistent with INTJ than ISTP. ISTPs live more flexibly, existing in the moment, making time for exploration and leisure. INTJs look for a path they can chart, a clear vision to guide them, and struggle to prioritize leisure pursuits more often.
Woozi has tested as INFJ on 16personalities, but that questionnaire is notoriously unreliable. In a 2022 episode of Going Seventeen, psychiatrist Dr. Song Hyung Seok discussed a separate temperament and character assessment. He singled Woozi out as particularly distinctive and compared him to a CEO. His description was of someone who prepares carefully, holds himself to strict standards, and keeps his emotions under control. He also described a preference for working alone. Woozi comes across as more cautious about taking risks than some of the other members, and his reserve can make it harder to tell what he’s feeling in the moment. Dr. Song Hyung Seok also stated that Woozi has lower social sensitivity and responsiveness, which doesn’t really match up well with INFJ.
Ultimately, I think he fits the profile of INTJ the best of the 16 types. He describes being able to step back and judge what direction fits the group’s music. For the group, he has an idea of where a song needs to go and can give a singer a concrete instruction to get it there. That’s where I see a possible combination of Introverted Intuition (Ni) and Extraverted Thinking (Te).
ISTP: Lee Know (Stray Kids) and Vernon (SEVENTEEN)
“I don’t think my image is someone who listens to people’s worries earnestly…That’s not my role, but if someone wants to destress I’ll go to karaoke with them, or if they say “Hyung, wanna grab a beer tonight? Even at 2 AM I’d say “Oh sure, and get out of bed and just go.” – Lee Know
Lee Know once asked, “What’s the point of working hard where everyone can see?” Han says that’s exactly how he operates. He gets on with the task and lets people find out later how much work went into it. He’ll also tell you Santa Claus doesn’t exist, then get out of bed at 2 a.m. if you ask him to grab a beer. I like that about him. If you’ve had a terrible day, he may be more inclined to go to karaoke with you than to ask you to talk through it. You still have someone to go to karaoke with.
Vernon has shared different questionnaire results over the years, including ENFP and ISTP. He talks openly about following his own desires and wanting to feel satisfied with the music he makes. What tilts me toward ISTP is the advice he’d give his younger self: “Just listen to yourself more than others.” He then specifies what he means: “Your logic.”
I see Extraverted Sensing (Se) most clearly when Lee Know and Vernon talk about their work. Lee Know learned to connect movements in his old dance crew’s short routines so the rhythm wouldn’t break. When Vernon recorded “Black Eye,” he eased up on the delivery and kept the reverb light because the song already sounded like he was yelling. They can both tell you what they noticed, why it mattered, and what they did about it in a very concrete, step-by-step way. When they speak they focus on concrete details rather than underlying meanings or concepts. They seem pragmatic, down-to-earth, and literal.
I also noticed that both individuals are very concise in their interviews. They don’t extrapolate, wander, or hypothesize. They give short, direct answers without rambling. In my profiling sessions with ISTPs this is always the experience. There’s no verbal wandering, just a pause, then a short, concise answer without a lot of unnecessary detail.
ISFP: Hyunjin (Stray Kids), The8 (SEVENTEEN), Jennie (BLACKPINK), Jungkook (BTS).
“You should build your own goals and dreams. I think it’s really sad that some people don’t get a chance to build their own dreams because of outside pressure.” – Jungkook
Hyunjin has gotten both INFP and ISFP on questionnaires. Jungkook identifies as an ISFP.
Hyunjin fell in love with Mark Rothko’s paintings and wanted to understand how simple shapes and colors could make him feel so much. Jungkook listens for the mood of a song and lets that guide how he sings it. The8 hopes his paintings give people a glimpse of who he is. And Jennie named her solo album Ruby, a name tied to the person she’d been imagining herself becoming since she was young.
I see Introverted Feeling (Fi) in the way they ask what feels like theirs and what they want to express. Se gives that private feeling a form you can see, hear, or feel. Hyunjin experiences what a painting can do to him, then goes back to his own canvas to see what he can do with color. Jungkook has deep inner feelings but expresses them through art, performance, tattoos, and his charitable contributions more than verbal expression. ISFPs may seem quiet and unassuming, but look at their actions, their style, and their artistic expression and you’ll find what really matters to them.
INFP: Ningning (aespa) and Kim Taehyung (V) (BTS)
“I don’t think my personality will change. No matter how much time passes or how old I get, I’d like to be considered a playful person to everyone.
— Kim Tae-hyung
Kim Taehyung and Ningning have both gotten INFP results on questionnaires. V has also gotten an ENFP result.
For a Harper’s Bazaar Korea shoot, Ningning was asked to look bold. She said she doesn’t usually think of herself as bold, so she drew on what she was actually feeling. She also wants aespa to keep its own authentic color even as they try different things. In American Hustle Life, V paused his packing to write down what he was feeling. He prioritizes authenticity, even when it makes other label him as “quirky” or “odd.”
In a society that focuses greatly on appearances, Ningning stated, “Just do whatever you want. Women can do everything. No matter how many kg, what does it matter?” She expresses herself through art, songwriting, and performance, not being afraid to be counter-cultural. Even as a child she wanted to be a prince rather than a princess when she grew up. After all, princes got to ride horses and earned more respect in the movies.
INFPs tend to take their inner experience seriously. They want enough room to understand what they feel and decide how they want to express it. In V’s Layover, jazz, photography, and old films all seem to belong in the same personal world. Ningning has expressed needing a great deal of space and time to blend ideas for her musical contributions.
INTP: Wonwoo (SEVENTEEN)
“You can’t be good at everything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try.” – Jeon Wonwoo
In the Going Seventeen “Know Thyself” episode, Dr. Song Hyung Seok, who also discussed Vernon’s results, described Wonwoo as someone who considers several possibilities before making a move. This lines up with INTPs. They like to explore all their options before making a decision, considering many outcomes, and imagining multiple perspectives.
In the same episode, Dr. Hyung-Seok stated that small things can stay on Wonwoo’s mind, and his caution may come across as timidity or coldness. The temperament assessment also suggested lower social sensitivity and responsiveness, along with a tendency to hold on to his own things and find sharing difficult. Vernon chimed in that Wonwoo has the fewest friends among the members and Wonwoo has publicly stated that he’s quiet and shy. Those details give me a picture of someone private and slow to warm up. The part I find most interesting for INTP is what he does with all that time before he decides.
When Wonwoo reads a novel about a department store that sells dreams, he pictures himself shopping there. He’s liked reading from a very young age, and compared to the members, he thinks he has a wider range of vocabulary. As a child, he’d watch movies and television shows and imagine himself as the characters. If he reads a line from Einstein, he can imagine Einstein saying it. I see a possible Extraverted Intuition (Ne) thread in how easily he follows those possibilities. For Introverted Thinking (Ti), I look at how he explains a problem. He’s very logical and precise, solving problems in a systematic way, sometimes leaning into ingenuity rather than following the tried-and-true method.
ESTP: Changbin (Stray Kids) and Park Jihyo (TWICE)
“Because I gave it my all and did my best, I don’t have any regrets about anything.” – Park Jihyo
Changbin and Jihyo have both gotten ESTP on questionnaires.
Changbin describes himself as down-to-earth and action-oriented. Lee Know says he makes rational judgments and explains his views logically. Jihyo, who identifies as an ESTP, said, “The only way to overcome [criticism and hindrances to your strength] is to ignore it and keep good people close.” She frequently talks about not being intimidated, overcoming hardships, and using struggle as fuel for forward momentum. ESTPs everywhere will relate. They’re not afraid of a challenge, in fact, no challenge would be dull to them. They want to feel some resistance to push against in life, and they want the opportunity to overcome and respond to the unexpected.
Changbin admits he may not have the most empathetic words to offer when someone comes to him for help, but he’ll listen and try to be there for his loved ones. Felix stated that Changbin will show care by working hard, being competent, and showing up. Jihyo’s directness and appetite for trying things in performance are what drew me to ESTP for her, along with the fact that she identifies as that type. Both individuals care deeply for their members, but rather than showing it through effusive words of affirmation, they show their care through actionable support, good experiences, and rational advice.
ESFP: Lisa (BLACKPINK)
“Never give up on your dreams, no matter how painful and difficult your journey is.” – Lisa
For her solo debut, Lisa practiced pole dancing for an hour or more almost every day. In the making-of video for “LALISA,” she mentions that her ankle hurts and then immediately talks about how much fun she’s having. She loves experimenting with choreography, fashion, and self-expression in actionable ways. She famously loves to party, whether it’s at the beach, the MET Gala, or at her home. Free-spirited and fun-loving, she enjoys dabbling in various modes of performance (acting, dancing, singing) and keeping her options open. “My auntie had a music group, so they had mic stands and I always played with them. I would lower it until it was the same height as me. Then I would just dance and sing to myself,” she shared in her Netflix documentary, Blackpink: Light Up the Sky.
Lisa moved to South Korea alone at age 14 without knowing how to speak Korean. This fun-loving, risk-taking attitude lines up well with ESFP. They aren’t afraid to venture into the unknown, taking on new opportunities and bringing the sense of fun to any situation. They often figure they’ll pick up the skills they need along the way rather than spending a lot of time in preparation.
I see Extraverted Sensing (Se) in how she gets absorbed in the experience itself, being unafraid to venture to new places and try new things. Introverted Feeling (Fi) is the part I notice when she promotes self-love and self-expression, straying from limiting conservative expectations for females in K-Pop.
ENFP: Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Han Jisung (Stray Kids), and Martin (CORTIS)
“The only thing predictable about life is It’s some unpredictability Anyone can be anything. You can be everything!” – Han Jisung
Lee Felix has gotten ENFP as well as ENFJ in questionnaires.
Felix wants to travel the world, meet interesting people, and feels a strong connection with Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. Han starts hobbies with a wild dream and struggles to finish some of the projects he starts. Martin blurts out weird stuff when he’s nervous and gets swept up in exciting new interests. What do all three have in common? They’re my picks for ENFP. ENFPs live with an open mind, exploring possibilities, forging their own paths, and trying to stay true to themselves when the world wants something more predictable.
Felix also took his interest in UNICEF’s work a step further by going to Laos to volunteer. He wanted the experience to mean something personally. Martin talks about going back to his older music and finding possibilities in ideas he couldn’t finish at the time. Han turned the feeling of being alone and out of place into “Alien,” a song about someone who finds himself on Earth and wonders where he belongs. They capture the ENFP mindset so well I couldn’t help but smile when I researched them. ENFPs want to march to the beat of their own drum, and they also want to feel connected to the human experience and the deeper values that connect us all. They want to inspire, create, explore, and feel like they’re on the verge of making a new discovery.
ENTP: Sunwoo (THE BOYZ)
Reported test result: ENTP.
“Since I’m an N, I imagine a lot. So, I do scenarios alone with fans about members and fans get deeply immersed, you know? I do that kind of stuff. Like if this member were in that situation, he would have acted this way. Since there are many members, time just flies by when doing that.”
“Imagining is a habit of mine,” Sunwoo told Arena Homme Plus. He can hear a beat, think of a movie, book, or advertisement, invent two people and their story, and then wonder how it might sound narrated by a third person. He’s also described trying different words and phrases until he finds the ones that work for a song. And in typical ENTP fashion, he likes being spontaneous and enjoys it when circumstances change.
Sunwoo also likes to prank and troll people at times. He once famously said, “I can entertain everyone. I’m young and rich. You need money when you get married. I can buy you that house and car.” He later stated he was totally joking around when he said this, admitting, “My mouth is the problem. It’s all lies, honestly. Young and rich was just a joke.”
ENTPs use their intuition to follow possibilities and their logic to work out which ones hold together. I see that in how Sunwoo keeps changing the angle of the story and testing what fits. He comes across as imaginative, flirtatious, and fun-loving, with a humor and sarcasm that confounds people expecting a more predictable, polished idol image.
ESTJ: Jihoon (TREASURE)
“Don’t be scared of failure, because failure is one of the steps to success.” – Jihoon
When TREASURE’s T5 unit started, Jihoon says he fell naturally into getting the group into practice mode and helping members who were having a harder time. Hyunsuk called him “a warm-hearted dad.” He frequently talks about the value of preparation, practice, and repetition. When asked about the burdens of leadership, Jihoon stead, “Instead of looking at it as a burden, I get a lot of power from it. It makes me feel powerful. We’re going to do our best.”
ESTJs often notice when everybody is waiting for somebody else to get things moving. They’re willing to take responsibility for making the work happen. He is known for his diligence, practicality, and endurance. He has made replying to fans on WeVerse part of his daily routine and is famous among the members for keeping his promises and only saying what he truly means. This consistency, responsibility, and willingness to take charge, even when it’s difficult, is something ESTJs are famous for.
ESFJ: Seungkwan (SEVENTEEN) and J-Hope (BTS
J-Hope has gotten both ESFJ and INFJ on questionnaires.
“The music helped me sympathize with our young generation and also empathize with them. I’d like to create and write more music that represents them.”
— J-Hope
J-Hope describes trying to keep the group’s energy up and taking care that the sign-language movements in “Permission to Dance” were accurate. I see Extraverted Feeling (Fe) in how he attends to the group’s mood and Introverted Sensing (Si) in the care he gives to the specific details that help the performance communicate what it’s meant to. His fellow members often talk about his tidiness and sense of punctuality. J-Hope himself stated that he could never give up his punctuality, that being on time is extremely important to him and even part of his identity. ESFJs tend to show they care in these practical ways; by taking care of details, making sure a job is done well, and being on time. They also show care by being empathetic, considerate, and relational. J-Hope’s warm smiles and charismatic attitude invite people in, make them feel seen, and liven up the atmosphere. While not all ESFJs may feel as lively as J-Hope appears, they will relate to his warmth, consideration, and attention to detail.
“Seungkwan is always reading the room,” Joshua says in Going Seventeen’s “Know Thyself.” Dr. Song Hyung Seok also describes him as someone who notices social cues and responds sensitively. He sees Seungkwan as responsible and outwardly confident, though willing to adjust a long-term goal when something more realistic is within reach. He also notes that Seungkwan can pull back or get defensive when he feels exposed. I like that the episode gives us room for both sides of him. You can be good at reading a room and still have moments when you wish the room would stop reading you.
What makes me lean ESFJ is how often Seungkwan adjusts based on what he thinks will help someone. When he recorded IU’s “Love Poem,” his friends were having a hard time. Reading what IU had written about the song made him wonder whether his worry was adding to a friend’s burden. He started thinking about what would actually help.
Both J-Hope and Seungkwan are people who care about others, show up for them, and consistently notice the details that will make life go more smoothly for the whole group they’re a part of.
ENFJ: Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Joshua (SEVENTEEN), and Jimin (BTS)
Bang Chan and Jimin have gotten ENFJ results on a questionnaire, although Jimin has also gotten ESTP. I think ENFJ is more accurate after reviewing footage, but this is still up to him.
“Whenever you’re feeling tired, frustrated or stressed out, just know that it’s always ok to let it out on me.” – Bang Chan
Jimin has said he wonders what his fans are struggling with and what makes them happy. When he sings or dances, he wants the emotion he puts into it to reach them. That’s where I see Extraverted Feeling (Fe). He’s thinking about what another person might actually feel on the receiving end. There’s a cost to that outward focus, too. He’s talked about acting like he was okay and asking how everyone else was doing when he felt unsteady himself. I also hear Introverted Intuition (Ni) in the way he describes singing: “I usually already have the big picture set in my mind when I sing…” He has a sense of what the performance should feel like as a whole, and the choices he makes onstage help bring that picture to life.
“If your heart has grown bigger, that also means you have also let go and emptied out many things. This shows that you have let go of the bad things and are left with nothing but happiness and freedom.” – Jimin
Bang Chan shares his work, listens to how people respond, and goes back to refine it. I see Fe in the fact that those reactions can actually change what he does next. I also love how he talks about the members as seven sparks that can rekindle someone’s fire when it goes out. He has a picture of what the group can be for each other, especially when one person is running low and there’s still a lot of work left to do.
Joshua is known as SEVENTEEN’s gentleman. In Going Seventeen’s “Know Thyself,” Dr. Song Hyung Seok described him as attentive to social cues and sensitive in how he responds. I see that most clearly in the way Joshua says he handles disagreements. He’ll bring something up privately because doing it in front of everyone could intimidate the other person.
“To all the youth (who are) going for their dream, my motto is that your dream will come true and trust yourself it will come true.” – Joshua Hong, Seventeen
He’s also said he feels things more strongly than he shows them and can find it hard to express himself in Korean. A soft voice only tells you how loudly somebody is talking. His temperament assessment also suggested a strong sense of connection to nature and the wider universe. He keeps a big-picture view of life and enjoys feelings of transcendence or connection with a wider sense of meaning.
ENTJ: Jang Wonyoung (IVE)
Wonyoung identifies as ENTJ, as she shared on Dex’s Fridge.
“I’d rather struggle studying than struggle with grades I don’t like.” – Jang Wonyoung
In You Quiz on the Block, Wonyoung talked about what it’s like to have strangers decide who you are from a few seconds of video. She knows there are people who have made up their minds about her, and she also knows there are plenty of people who like her. She seems content to let both groups exist. When she does think she’s done something wrong, she has a straightforward answer: “I accept and correct the mistakes I made.” She also spoke about how stressful it can be to spend so much of your time doing things because someone else wants you to. When she feels that pressure, she tells herself, “I am the owner of this life.”
“There’s no pain without reward,” she said in the same interview. My favorite part is what she said after that. She knows the reward might never show up. The thought of it still gives her some comfort and helps her keep going when things get hard. There’s something I like about hearing both of those things from her. She can be matter-of-fact about a mistake she needs to fix and still give herself a little hope on a miserable day.
What do you think?
Which idol makes you think, Oh no, I do that exact thing? Is there someone you’d type differently? Tell me who you’d add and which interview or moment made you think of them. I’m always interested in the story behind the four letters.
