It takes a lot of work to stand out in a crowd of 82 contestants, but the members of UNIS achieved this when they won the SBS survival competition, Universe Ticket, in January 2024. However, once UNIS was created, the next task was to determine who could lead this talented, multi-national K-pop girl group. So among Jin Hyeonju, Nana, Gehlee Dangca, Kotoko, Bang Yunha, Elisia, Oh Yoona, and Lim Seowon, here is the confirmed answer to who the leader of UNIS is at F&F.

The Leader of UNIS Is Jin Hyeonju

Jin Hyeonju is the leader of the group, as confirmed in Korean news reporting from February 2024. F&F Entertainment has not elaborated in depth as to how she was chosen for the role, but the reasons why seem fairly straightforward. Firstly, Hyeonju is the oldest member of UNIS by a margin of about six years! Secondly, Hyeonju was already an active idol as a member of girl group Cignature (though she is on hiatus from Cignature for UNIS promotions). With her age and experience, Hyeonju surely has the ability to lead the group.

If F&F had wanted to select a leader whose age was closer to the median age of the group, then that would have made the next three oldest members — Nana, Gehlee Dangca, and Kotoko — into leadership candidates. However, Nana and Kotoko are Japanese, and Gehlee Dangca is Filipino. It is rare (but not unheard of) for a non-Korean to lead a K-pop group, perhaps in part because Korean is not their first language. The next oldest Korean member of the group, Bang Yunha, will be no more than 15 years old at debut, which likewise made her unlikely to be chosen to lead.

In summary, the leader of UNIS is Jin Hyeonju, and she is currently on hiatus from her original K-pop group, Cignature, to promote in UNIS. For more about the group, check out how old the UNIS members currently are and when they will debut.