(YG Entertainment)

CL, leader of K-pop girl band 2NE1, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, are leading the TIME‘s online poll for the 100 most influential people in the world as of Saturday.

The preliminary results of the online poll, which closed Saturday, show that the female rapper and Russian leader earned 6.9 percent of the total votes.

Pop sensation Lady Gaga snagged the No. 3 spot with 2.6 percent of the votes, followed by U.S. divas Rihanna.

The U.S. weekly magazine described CL, the only South Korean on the list, as “widely popular,” introducing her plan to break into the U.S. market in partnership with manager Scooter Braun.

Pope Francis came in seventh, along with singer Beyonce, garnering 1.5 percent of the total votes. U.S. President Barack Obama took the No.8 slot, trailed by his wife Michelle Obama.

The final result of the readers’ vote will be announced Monday, while the winners chosen by TIME‘s editors are to be unveiled Thursday.

Time has annually run the readers’ poll and published a list of people who influenced the world on the basis of its international staff, alumni and editors’ choice since 1999.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)