Forbes Korea Names Top 40 Power Celebrities Of 2019

Apr 29, 2019

Forbes has announces its annual list of the Top 40 Power Celebrities in Korea for this year!

All the names in the top five of the 2019 list are idols, with BLACKPINK coming in No. 1, BTS in No. 2, Wanna One in No. 3, Kang Daniel in No. 4, and Red Velvet in No. 5.

Forbes Korea narrowed down the list to 150 nominees by looking at search rankings provided by Kakao, with the time period being from March 2018 to February 2019. The Top 40 was then chosen from this list. People who are currently involved in controversies were excluded.

Up to last year, the rankings were determined by scores in media, earnings, and broadcasts. This year, Forbes Korea used the criteria of frequency of media exposure, earnings, broadcasts, and social media. BLACKPINK took No. 1 in social media, No. 2 in earnings, No. 11 in media exposure, and No. 15 in broadcast activities. Forbes Korea writes, “Although they came in first in media exposure and earnings, BTS, who did not have many domestic activities last year, took No. 39 in terms of broadcast activities and came in second overall.”

The rankings in the “media” category are determined by the frequency of mentions in news headlines from 53 national media outlets who are registered with the Korea Press Foundation.

The “broadcast” category aims to determine the popularity of celebrities amongst viewers of all ages by considering factors such as appearances on dramas and variety programs, viewership ratings, and MC roles.

The “earnings” category includes money earned through appearances in films, television broadcasts, and advertisements, as well as profits from songs and performances, annual salary, and prize money. Music data is acquired from Gaon Chart, and international music chart rankings are also reflected through data from Chartmetric. Advertisement earnings were based on data from the Advertising Information Center database, with brands scored based on rankings (major companies as A, small and middle-sized companies as B, and local advertisements, etc. as C).

The “social media” category was included in the ranking for the first time this year. Statistics were compiled based on statistics from celebrities’ official accounts, including YouTube subscribers and followers on V Live, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

See the full list below:

1. BLACKPINK
2. BTS
3. Wanna One
4. Kang Daniel
5. Red Velvet
6. Park Na Rae
7. Hong Jin Young
8. Han Ji Min
9. Son Heung Min
10. EXO
11. Ryu Jun Yeol
12. Yoo Jae Suk
13. Bae Jung Nam
14. IU
15. Yoo Byung Jae
16. AOA’s Seolhyun
17. Jun Hyun Moo
18. Park Bo Gum
19. Lee Byung Hun
20. Jung Hae In
21. TWICE
22. Yoo Yeon Seok
23. Kim Tae Ri
24. Sunmi
25. Lee Seung Gi
26. MAMAMOO‘s Hwasa
27. Girls’ Generation
28. MAMAMOO
29. Jo Bo Ah
30. Park Seo Joon
31. Son Ye Jin
32. Apink’s Son Naeun
33. Lee Young Ja
34. Han Hye Jin
35. Park Joon Hyung
36. Baek Jong Won
37. GOT7
38. Ha Jung Woo
39. Ryu Hyun Jin
40. Joo Ji Hoon