“Finger hearts” have become one of South Korea’s biggest cultural exports of late, with celebrities using the gesture as a go-to pose during photo opportunities in Korea and abroad.
It usually involves crisscrossing your thumb and index finger to create the shape of a heart.
While cynics might think the gesture has been overdone, the growing number of Instagram posts with finger hearts shows it is here to stay for a while.
Here are some of the most memorable finger hearts done by celebrities.
1. BTS days before becoming the highest-charting K-pop act in the US
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(Yonhap) |
BTS made finger hearts during a press conference in Seoul in May. The group was asked whether its album “Love Yourself: Tear” could top Billboard’s albums chart. The album topped the chart the following week.
2. Black Pink in a thank you post on Instagram for fans
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(Blackpink's Instagram) |
Black Pink dominated music charts in July with its new song “Ddu-du Ddu-du.” The group’s members made finger hearts in an Instagram post in the same month to thank fans.
3. Wanna One showing off various hearts
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(Yonhap) |
Members of Wanna One showed different styles of hearts, ranging from a hand heart, a finger heart to even their own gesture as part of the promotion for their EP “0+1=1.”
4. Son Heung-min during a return home after a successful season
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(Yonhap) |
Son, who became one of South Korea’s most beloved football players after the match against Germany during the Russian World Cup, also made the gesture when he returned home after a successful season in the English Premiere League in May 2017.
5. Taron Egerton while promoting “Eddie the Eagle” in Korea
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(Yonhap) |
The Welsh actor also did finger hearts. Egerton appeared confused as to how the gesture resembles the shape of a heart during an interview with the local media, and his facial expression generated a plethora of memes online.
6. Melania Trump during her visit to Seoul
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(Yonhap) |
Even Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States, made the finger heart gesture during an event at the residence of the US ambassador.
7. G-Dragon in a childhood photo
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(G Dragon's Instagram) |
G-Dragon uploaded a childhood photo of himself on Instagram back in 2016, in which the singer made a finger heart at a time when the gesture was not a mainstream trend.
By Yim Hyun-su (
hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)