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BTS' Jin, IU, aespa, BLACPINK's Jisoo, Park Bo-gum, & more dominate' 2025 Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40' list: Complete rundown

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Forbes Korea has released its much-awaited 2025 Power Celebrity 40 list, which ranks South Korea's most powerful public figures across different industries, such as music, film, sports, and broadcasting. The list is the result of an extensive survey done between April 2024 and March 2025.

It considers various important metrics such as celebrity earnings, media exposure, social media popularity, broadcasting, and public voting. Celebrities are scored based on their multidimensional impact, with their approximated yearly earnings, social media mentions, number of broadcast appearances, and public votes all contributing to the overall ranking score.

2025 Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40: IU leads the rankings with Son Heung-min and aespa following close behind

Leading the 2025 Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list is IU, a versatile artist known for her singing, songwriting, and acting. With a career spanning over a decade, IU's success in both the music and acting industries has made her a dominant force. Her recent role in Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines has been a major success, contributing to her estimated annual income of around 32 billion won.

This report marks the revenue acquired through different channels such as music, performances, drama appearances, and advertising. IU still stands as a prominent figure in media and social media references, affirming her status within the market.

Son Heung-min comes in at the second position, indicating his high standing in both the sports and entertainment industries. His success on the international football stage, combined with a high profile in the media, has made him a powerful figure.

Moreover, aespa, a global girl group affiliated with SM Entertainment, ranked at the third position on the Forbes Korea list. Their achievement is due to a series of hit music releases, including their fifth extended play Whiplash.

Fandoms have also had a growing part in driving the rankings, as fan votes are counted towards the final rating. Celebrities like BTS' Jin, who ranked 26, and Park Seo-joon (rank 35) have maintained strong international fan bases. IU, who has held a world tour in 18 cities across 12 countries in 2024, and BIBI, who plans a world tour in 2025, have shown how global tours serve as major income sources for celebrities.

BLACKPINK's Jisoo, who released her first solo album, Amortage, in 2025, ranked 11. This makes her the highest-ranking BLACKPINK member on the list. Fellow members Jennie (rank 20), Rosé (rank 24), and Lisa (rank 32) also appear on the Forbes Korea list. This highlights the group's individual successes, despite focusing on solo activities after their contract with YG Entertainment expired.

Among actors, Cha Eun-woo (rank 12), Lee Byung-hun (rank 13), Park Bo-gum (rank 14), Gong Yoo (rank 15), and Kim Ji-won (rank 23) maintain strong rankings for their success in both television and film.

Byun Woo-seok reached the 18th position on the Forbes Korea list. He has gained popularity through the drama Lovely Runner and makes a notable appearance in the list, as does Kim Hye-yoon (rank 30).

BIBI, ranked 22 at the moment, has witnessed a significant boost in popularity due to the popularity of her hit track Bam Yang Gang and acting in the movie Hopeless. Lim Young-woong, a trot artist known for his loyal fan following, is placed at the fifth position, largely due to his social media activity. His recent documentary, Lim Young-woong: I'm Hero the Stadium, was in the spotlight, with more than 350,000 people watching it.

While trot singers have long dominated the ranks, there seems to be a decrease in their overall presence this year. However, performers like Lee Chan-won (rank 16), Jang Min-ho (rank 31), Park Seo-jin (rank 33), and Young Tak (rank 34) still rank well on the Forbes Korea list due to their continued popularity in the genre.

In the broadcasting world, Jun Hyun-moo retains a strong position on Korean television, featuring in well-known shows like I Live Alone and The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears, where he is in the fourth position. In sports, Lee Jung-hoo (rank 7), Lee Kang-in (rank 9), and Faker (rank 6), a professional video game player, are still powerful figures, owing to their competitive success and growing fan bases.

Here’s the complete 2025 Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list:

  1. IU — Singer (Actress)
  2. Son Heung-min — Sports
  3. aespa — Singer
  4. Jun Hyun-moo — Broadcaster
  5. Lim Young-woong — Singer
  6. Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) — Sports
  7. Lee Jung-hoo — Sports
  8. SEVENTEEN — Singer
  9. Lee Kang-in — Sports
  10. Yoo Jae-suk — Broadcaster
  11. Jisoo (BLACKPINK) — Singer
  12. Cha Eun-woo — Actor
  13. Lee Byung-hun — Actor
  14. Park Bo-gum — Actor
  15. Gong Yoo — Actor
  16. Lee Chan-won — Singer
  17. Han Kang — Author
  18. Byun Woo-seok — Actor
  19. Lee Je-hoon — Actor
  20. Jennie (BLACKPINK) — Singer
  21. IVE — Singer
  22. BIBI — Singer (Actress)
  23. Kim Ji-won — Actress
  24. Rosé (BLACKPINK) — Singer
  25. Go Min-si — Actress
  26. Jin (BTS) — Singer
  27. Ma Dong-seok — Actor
  28. Song Hye-kyo — Actress
  29. Jung Hae-in — Actor
  30. Kim Hye-yoon — Actress
  31. Jang Min-ho — Singer
  32. Lisa (BLACKPINK) — Singer
  33. Park Seo-jin — Singer
  34. Young Tak — Singer
  35. Park Seo-joon — Actor
  36. Kim Do-young — Sports
  37. DAY6 — Singer
  38. Suzy — Singer (Actress)
  39. An Se-young — Sports
  40. Lee Se-young — Actress

The 2025 edition of Forbes Korea's list provides significant changes to the assessment process. Forbes Korea has further divided income sources into more categories, with celebrity earnings being categorized into specific areas, which include music source income, appearance fees from broadcasts, advertisement fees, movie fees, performance fees, and yearly salaries.

The methodology for evaluating public influence and recognition through broadcasting has also been improved, including metrics like viewership ratings, awards, and audience metrics. In addition, the use of AI-based big data analytics has enabled a more accurate determination of social media activity and mentions.

This year features the first integration of a fan vote element to the Forbes Korea ranking, in an acknowledgement of rising fandom impacts on lists. Fandom impact, especially international, has been an acute trend, with performers trying to interact with fans worldwide through overseas tours and fan engagements.

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