There is typically a leader in K-Pop groups. The leader leads the group from the front, and usually, the leader is considered the backbone of the group. Most of the time, the leader of a group serves as the decision-maker, communicator, and mediator. Usually, there is one leader in a group, but that's not always the case. Some groups have no leader. Then there are the groups with two or more leaders. Leaders of such groups share co-leadership and responsibilities with each other. The number of leaders varies from group to group.

Here are the active boy groups of K-Pop that have or used to have two leaders.

DKB

DKB stands for “Dark Brown Eyes.” Brave Entertainment created and managed the boy band DKB. Consisting of nine members, DKB has two leaders. The group's debut Extended Play, titled "Youth," and its lead single, "Sorry Mama", were both released on February 3, 2020. E-Chan, who is a rapper, and D1, who is a vocalist of the group, are appointed as two leaders of DKB. They share the responsibilities and together look after the group of nine members.

EXO

One of SM Entertainment’s most popular groups, EXO, is a boy band composed of nine members. Originally a twelve-member group EXO debuted in 2012. EXO was divided into two groups, “EXO-K” and “EXO-M,” each with six members, and released their debut single, “Mama” on April 8, 2012. The following day their Extended Play “Mama” was made available. Exo debuted with two leaders. Suho as the leader of EXO-K, and Kris Wu as the leader of EXO-M. Kris Wu, Luhan, and Tao left the group in 2014 and 2015. Since then, Exo has performed as one group, and Suho is now the sole leader of EXO.

NewKidd

"New generation key of dream" is what Newkidd stands for. J-Flo Entertainment formed the boy group NewKidd, which currently has seven members. The group made their official debut on April 25, 2019, with their debut single album titled “Newkidd” featuring “Tu eres” as the lead track of the album. There are two leaders in the group. The group's two 2001-born members are appointed as the leaders. The second leader of Newkidd is YunMin, while the leader is Kim Jinkwon. Lee Min Wook will be joining the group as a new member, according to a July 28 announcement from Newkidd's agency.

ONF

ONF is a Korean-Japanese boy group under WM Entertainment. In August 2017, the group released their first Extended Play, "On/Off," marking their official debut. After the youngest member, Laun quit the group in 2019, there are now only six people left in the group. The group is composed of two teams. Team “ON” and team “OFF.” Each team has its own individual leader. J-US is in charge of the team "OFF," whereas Hyojin is in charge of the team "ON." They both lead ONF together and are the oldest members of their respective teams.

TREASURE

TREASURE is the biggest and youngest boy group under YG Entertainment. The group made their official debut on August 7, 2020, with their debut single album ‘The First Step: Chapter One, with “BOY” as the title track. TREASURE debuted with two leaders. Choi Hyunsuk and Park Jihoon, the group's oldest members, are entitled to leadership responsibilities. Treasure attended a press conference on the day of their debut, where they disclosed that they had been advised to have two leaders. As a result, Jihoon and Hyunsuk were chosen as TREASURE's leaders.

UP10TION

Up10tion pronounced as “Up Tension,” is a boy group under the Korean entertainment agency Top Media. In September 2015, Up10tion released their debut Extended Play album ‘Top Secret’ with “So Dangerous” as the title track. Jinhoo, the oldest member of the group, is in charge, while Kuhn serves as the co-leader for Up10tion, which consists of ten members. Up10tion recently made a comeback on October 12 with seven members.

YOUNITE

Formed by Brand New Music, Younite is a rookie boy group composed of nine members. Younite stands for “YOU and I: we are connected.” On April 20, 2022, Younite debuted with their Extended Play album “Youni-Birth.” Members Eunho and Eunsang share the leader’s position in the group. Leaders were first decided thru vote. The top three members who received the most votes then served as the leader for each month. Finally, the company decided for them to have two leaders. Eunho because he is the oldest, and Eunsang because of his experience.

Do you prefer a single leader or more? Is it necessary for some groups to have two or more leaders? Which leaders duo is your favorite?