BTS, fresh out of military service, has topped the advertising model brand reputation rankings for the second month straight. With their comeback and world tour locked for 2026, their brand value shot up by the lakhs in just a month. All seven, RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, V (Taehyung), Jimin, and Jungkook, dominated the list. Right behind them is Korean solo and trot sensation Lim Young Woong, who’s seen a sudden spike in popularity these past few months. Meanwhile, Lovely Runner breakout Byeon Woo Seok landed in third place, leaving behind several top K-pop idols and groups. The rankings, released by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, are based on an analysis of 34,285,246 pieces of advertising model brand big data gathered between June 3 and July 3, 2025.
Korean celebs July brand reputation ranking
The analysis is based on four indices—participation, media, communication, and community. Compared to June, there’s been a 15.86% drop in overall public engagement. Still, BTS came out strong. Their participation index stood at 294,792, media at 213,142, communication at 1,125,780, and community at 1,738,155, bringing their total brand reputation score to 3,371,870. That’s a massive 89.35% jump from June’s 1,780,753. Lim Young Woong came in at No. 2 with an overall score of 1,951,386, though he slipped 12% from last month. Korean drama Lovely Runner breakout Byun Woo Seok saw a 25% drop, landing at 1,854,290. BLACKPINK grabbed No. 4 with 1,739,067 (↑13.09%), while IVE (Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, Leeseo) dropped 32.64% to 1,462,160. The company noted BTS’s explosive return post-military is what sent their brand value flying. Meanwhile, names like SEVENTEEN, Cha Eun Woo, Park Bo Gum, Gong Yoo, Yoo Jae Suk, aespa, SHINee, and even Faker slid down the rankings.
Also read: BTS’ Suga warns ‘the market’s not the same’ as group confirms 2026 comeback and tour
Earlier, BTS’ agency, HYBE, saw a spike in its stock market performance after trading low for months while the members were away for military service. On June 9, ahead of BTS’ return, the agency’s shares jumped nearly 10% compared to previous months. The stock has also reportedly outperformed both YG Entertainment and SM Entertainment. While BTS already has major luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Celine, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, NBA, Valentino, Cartier and more under their belt, more brands are now lining up as the comeback was announced. These rankings are a clear sign, BTS is back to reclaim their grip on brand trust and influence across Korea’s media landscape.
Top 50
BTS, Lim Young Woong, Byun Woo Seok, Blackpink, Ive, Son Heung Min, Son Seok Gu, Lee Jung Jae, So Ji Sub, Psy, Cha Eun Woo, Park Bo Gum, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon Hyuk, Yoo Jae Seok, Lee Jung Hoo, Seventeen, Park Bo Young, Kim Do Young, Choo Sung Hoon, Kim Hye Soo, Kang Ho Dong, Park Eun Bin, aespa, Lee Chan Won, Lee Byung Hun, SHINee, Faker, Ryu Hyun Jin, Shin Dong Yup, Ma Dong Seok, Kim Yuna, Cha Seung Won, Kim Hye Yoon, Kim Jong Kook, Park Seo Joon, Kang Daniel, Moon Chae Won, Han Ji Min, Twice, Vivi, Ji Ye Eun, Kim Go Eun, Red Velvet, Oh My Girl, Le Seraphim, Tours, Jung Hae In, Shin Min A.
