List of South Korean idol groups

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Idol musical bands in South Korea started to appear after the success of Seo Taiji and Boys, whose debut in 1992 is considered a turning point in the history of Korean popular music.{{cite book |url=https://kpopsingers.com/ |title=K-Pop: A New Profiles in Pop Music |publisher=Korean Culture and Information Service; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |year=2011 |isbn=978-89-7375-166-2 |edition=Korean Culture No.2 |format=PDF}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mtviggy.com/articles/k-pop-uncovered-intro/3/ |title=What Is K-pop? (Page 3) |publisher=MTV Iggy |access-date=22 January 2013}} 2012 was a record year in K-pop in terms of number of rookie artists: 33 male groups and 38 girl groups debuted.{{cite web |title=32 K-Pop Idol Girl Groups Made their Debut in 2012! |url=http://www.soompi.com/2012/11/21/32-k-pop-idol-girl-groups-made-their-debut-in-2012/ |publisher=Soompi |access-date=22 January 2013 |date=2012-11-21}}{{cite web |title=24 K-Pop Idol Boy Bands Debuted in 2012! |url=http://www.soompi.com/2012/11/20/new-k-pop-idol-boy-bands-debuted-in-2012/ |publisher=Soompi |access-date=22 January 2013 |date=2012-11-20}}

This list of boy bands and girl groups is organized by year of debut.