Only K-Pop Boy Group on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Meet CORTIS

[TV Daily reporter Kim Jin-seok] The group CORTIS has secured a place on Forbes Asia’s \”30 Under 30\” list for 2026. They are the youngest Koreans named to the list and the only K-pop boy group included.

Forbes annually highlights young leaders across the Asia-Pacific whose influence stands out with its 30 Under 30 in Asia list.

This year, Forbes Asia’s local reporters, editors and an expert panel reviewed roughly 4,000 nominations across 10 categories. CORTIS — Martin, James, Juhun, Sunghyun and Geonho — rose through that scrutiny to land in the Entertainment & Sports category, just nine months after their debut.

Forbes commended the members for jointly leading creative planning across music, choreography and video production. The outlet noted the group’s global reach, which breaks the conventional K-pop mold, and praised their potential as a self-sustaining \”young creator crew.\” True to their name — inspired by the slogan \”think freely, outside the rules and standards set by the world\” — CORTIS has won over a global fandom with an expansive range and a distinct musical identity.

Their mini album GREENGREEN sharpened that identity and made an immediate mark on the global music market. The catchy title track REDRED has appeared on Spotify’s Weekly Top Songs Global chart for five consecutive weeks. The song also topped daily and weekly charts on domestic platforms Melon and Bugs, as well as Spotify, demonstrating wide popular appeal. Their official Instagram and TikTok accounts each have more than 12 million followers, the largest following among K-pop rookie groups that debuted in the past five years.

In its first week, Hanteo Chart reported sales of 2,313,291 copies, easily earning the album \”double million-seller\” status. That is the second-highest first-week total among K-pop releases this year, trailing only BTS’s fifth studio album, Arirang. The record also debuted as high as No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (May 23).

[TV Daily reporter Kim Jin-seok news@tvdaily.co.kr/Photo: BigHit Music]