4 Reasons Why CORTIS’ KeonHo Is Becoming The Rising K-Pop “Noona Killer”

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BigHit Music’s new boy group CORTIS has been taking the K-Pop world by storm recently. The quintet has attracted a huge following immediately after their debut not only because the members have outstanding visuals and performance skills, but also because they are a self-producing idol group where all the members participate in the group’s music and content production, demonstrating the creativity and experimental spirit of Gen Z. CORTIS is even invited to perform at one of the largest K-wave award ceremonies Asia Artist Awards (AAA) 2025 in Taiwan this December, proving CORTIS’ position as one of the most promising “monster rookies” in the 5th-gen era. 

In particular, the group’s 16-year-old maknae KeonHo has been receiving a lot of attention among K-Pop fans globally with his handsome “sunshine boy” visual and skillful performance, and his youthful teenage charm even made millions of “noona fans” swoon over him despite his young age. Many fans are sharing KeonHo’s photos and videos on social media saying how he has been capturing their hearts. Some even claimed that KeonHo made them start stanning CORTIS and later on discover the charms of the other members. Read on to find out 4 reasons that make KeonHo the new generation “noona killer”! 

1. Handsome “Sunshine Boy” As A Top 5th Gen Visual 

As CORTIS’ visual member, KeonHo’s biggest charm is his perfect face card. His large sparkling eyes bring out his energetic and innocent teenage boy charm, and his beautiful smile just fills your day with energy like the bright summer sun. Many fans said that KeonHo’s smile is infectious, that they feel happy every time they see him smiling. While his thick eyebrows give his visuals a masculine touch (in fact, KeonHo thinks this is his charming point). 

KeonHo’s delicate features have made him one of the rising 5th gen visual K-Pop idols, and he was even being crowned as “little Cha EunWoo” by various Korean and overseas media outlets. It is hard to believe that a 16-year-old teenage boy can be so adorable and handsome at the same time! 

2. Healthy Image As A Former Swimmer

Several K-Pop idols such as ITZY’s Yuna and ENHYPEN’s SungHoon were athletes before they became idol trainees, and KeonHo is also one of them. KeonHo used to be a swimmer for 4-5 years up until his first year of middle school, and he mainly trained for 50 and 100m backstroke events. KeonHo achieved outstanding results in various swimming competitions, that he set a new record during one competition and even dreamt of getting into the Korean national team. During CORTIS’ debut interview on Inkigayo, KeonHo showed his quick hand movements when he practiced swimming (1:30). 

KeonHo revealed in Weverse Magazine that his background as a former athlete helped him build stamina and perseverance to endure the tough training as an idol trainee. Moreover, his swimming coach focused heavily on teaching him etiquette and manners, which shaped him into a polite person. KeonHo is truly an idol that possesses both inner and outer beauty, and his healthy image as a former athlete makes him even more admirable and charming. 

3. Lovely Character As The Maknae

Like most maknaes in K-Pop groups, KeonHo is a cutie-pie who always does childish (in a cute way) things that make fans laugh, such as hanging himself upside down on the “Music Bank” staircase handle…

And eating pizza in an “unproper” way. Look how cute KeonHo was biting the pizza while grinning at Martin! (And Martin was looking so helpless—our leadernim must have a hard time taking care of this mischievous kid…) 

Besides bringing laughter to “noona fans” by doing silly things, KeonHo also melts their hearts by showing cute aegyo that radiates pure boyish charm. Being an introvert, KeonHo often looks shy when he does aegyo, which makes him extra lovely. In “M Countdown NEXT WEEK” debut spoiler, KeonHo looked like a bashful baby boy seeking for his hyung’s support when he reenacted his viral video of having french fries at the airport by pretending eating French fries while peeping at JuHoon, flashing a shy smile afterwards (1:00). 

KeonHo later on showed his “lips pouting” and “cheek heart” aegyo in “Sound Bomb 360”, which literally drove all the audiences into a frenzy (5:18), and his shy turn and squat after doing the aegyo was too cute to handle! How can one not fall for this lovely little boy? 

4. Skilful Performance As A Professional Artist 

Apart from possessing breathtaking visuals and a cute personality, having trained for around 4 years, KeonHo is a professional artist with outstanding performance skills comparable to a seasoned K-Pop idol despite the fact that he has just debuted for less than a month. 

In this fancam of CORTIS’ debut song ‘What You Want’, KeonHo showcased his dynamic dance moves and soulful vocals that suited the freewheeling and energetic spirit of the song. In particular, he slayed the “turning hands” point choreography (0:57) so hard with playful facial expressions that made all “noona fans” hearts skip a beat. KeonHo’s solid singing and dancing skills and charismatic stage presence prove that he is born to be an idol! 

Do you stan KeonHo, and what qualities of his do you find the most attractive? Let us know in the comments below!