SEOUL • K-pop sensation BTS just keep adding to their legacy. They were included in Time magazine's list of the 25 most influential people on the Internet for the second straight year.

The boyband were the sole Korean representative on the list released on Thursday, taking their place alongside United States President Donald Trump, musicians Rihanna and Kanye West, among others.

According to the magazine, the list was based on "their global impact on social media and their overall ability to drive news".

It attributed the group's selection to their recent success with the EP Love Yourself: Tear, which became the first K-pop album to top the Billboard 200 albums chart.

As of this week, BTS have stayed on the chart for the fourth straight week, at No. 20.

The band are especially prominent on social media, backed by their powerful fan group Army. They topped Billboard's Social 50 chart for nearly 900 weeks and won the top social artist award at the Billboard Music Awards for the second straight year.

Time said it included Rihanna on the list due to her savvy use of social media to market her beauty brand and lingerie line.

She also apparently caused Snapchat's share price to fall in March this year after she denounced the company for making light of her beating by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

West was included in the list as "his online persona - with 28 million followers - keeps him squarely in the public eye", according to Time.

THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK