Y-DNA haplogroup K is an old lineage whose origins were probably in southwestern Asia. At present this group contains two distinct classes of sub-groups: (1) major groups L to R (refer to the main tree at Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree and (2) minor groups K* and K1 to K7 which do not have any of the SNPs defining the major groups. These groups are found at low frequencies in various parts of Africa, Eurasia, Australia and the South Pacific.
K1 is found at low frequencies in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
K2 is found at low frequencies throughout Europe and in parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and West Africa. A famous person of the K2 subclade was Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (1801-09).
K5 is a major haplogroup in the highlands of mainland Papua New Guinea where it is found at frequencies of around 50% in some populations and is also present at lower frequencies in adjacent islands of Indonesia and Melanesia.