On the first Thursday of the new year, fans flocked to social media to celebrate the birthdays of three K-pop stars: Jisoo of Black Pink, Seolhyun of AOA and Donghyuk of iKon.

They took to Twitter and Instagram to send special, personalized birthday messages to the three singers.


1. Jisoo of Black Pink




Born in 1995, the Black Pink member turned 24 years old.

Blinks -- the group’s official fan club -- all over the world have started a hashtag trend on Twitter with #MissKoreaJisooDay, while Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment, shared a birthday poster featuring Jisoo on his Instagram account.

Jisoo debuted with Black Pink in August 2016 with the single “Whistle.” Within two years, the four-piece band became a reigning K-pop act. In June last year, it debuted the highest-charting hit ever by a K-pop girl group on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” which peaked at No. 55.


2. Seolhyun of AOA




Seolhyun of AOA also turned 24 on Thursday. Twitter has been flooded with sweet messages by fans and photos of the singer, with #HappySeoulhyunDay trending worldwide.

After debuting as a member of AOA in July 2012 with the act’s first single “Angel’s Story,” Seolhyun expanded into acting, starring in the historical film “The Great Battle” in May last year and the thriller “Memoir of a Murderer” in September the same year.

The singer-turned-actress is currently mulling a lead role in JTBC’s upcoming historical drama “My Country.”


3. Donghyuk of iKon




Celebrating his birthday on the same day as his labelmate Jisoo, Donghyuk of iKon, whose stage name is DK, was also showered with birthday messages from fans all over the world.

Born in 1997, the band’s main vocalist and dancer turned 22.

#DancingDonghyukDay has been trending on Twitter, and fans have been honoring the birthday boy with clips that showcase his dance skills.

YG head Yang also celebrated the singer’s birthday by posting a card featuring Donghyuk on his Instagram account.

Donghyuk has been a member of iKon since 2015, after competing in the reality program “Win: Who is Next.”

By Hong Dam-young (lotus@heraldcorp.com)