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Son Heung-min, who was hailed for his stunning performance at the FIFA World Cup, has risen to the top of the December Star Brand Reputation Index, surpassing the K-Pop powerhouse BTS. On the last day of 2022, the Korean Business Research Institute released its monthly edition of the list of the most popular Korean stars.
The Korean Business Research Institute determines the monthly rankings on the basis of a number of factors, such as the amount of media attention given to stars, which range from K-Pop groups and soloists to actors and sportspersons. Further, the amount of fan engagement they receive on social media, the frequency with which their fans engage with them online, and the level of recognition they enjoy within online communities are also primary factors considered in the tabulation of this index.
For the latest edition of the rankings, 232,979,812 star brand big data from November 30 to December 31 was analyzed, marking an increase of 13.5% in the data considered.
Son Heung-min’s popularity sees skyrocketing increase since October
The internationally acclaimed star Son Heung-min, who became the backbone of the Korean football team, saw a sharp rise in his popularity after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup.
In the previous edition of the Star Brand Reputation index, the sportsman held a rank of three, trailing behind the K-Pop Goliaths BTS and BLACKPINK. However, this month with an outstanding brand reputation index of 16,286,284, the footballer has become the undisputed leader of the popularity index.
There has been a groundbreaking increase of 153.11% in the brand reputation score of Son Heung-min since November when it was 6,434,523. The Brand reputation score is a compilation of a participation index score of 3,967,931, a media index of 2,973,528, a communication index of 2,930,404, and a community index of 6,414,421.
BTS, Song Jung-ki, and rookie K-pop girl group NewJeans follow Son Heung-min to the top five of the Star Brand Reputation Index
The world’s biggest K-Pop boy band BTS trailed behind Son Heung-min to hold second place on the December edition of the Star Brand Reputation Index.
The group's brand reputation index score was 10,001,486. Further, in the sub-categories, the boy band scored 739,663 for participation, an index of 1,963,456 for media, a communication index score of 3,230,238, and scored 4,068,129 in the community index. This month marks a slight increase of 0.80% in the popularity of the group since November.
The third position went to Reborn Rich star Song Joong-ki, who scored a popularity index of 8,976,155. Korean singer Lim Young-woong held on to fourth place with an index of 7,247.683.
HYBE's rookie girl group NewJeans, achieved an impressive score of 6,725,823. This marks a sharp increase of 58.18% in the popularity of the Cookie artists since last month's edition. NewJeans' latest album OMG is all set for release in January 2023.
The band closed off the top five on December's Star Brand Reputation Index.
