In celebration of their 9th year of establishment, Forbes Korea
has reported this year’s list of the top 40 ‘Power Celebrities’,
and Girls’ Generation has topped the list for the second year in a
row.
‘Celebrity’ refers to an individual who is widely known by the
masses, and Forbes takes 100 of these celebrities and ranks them
based on income, influence, fame, and professionalism.
This format is the same that Forbes in the United States uses
for their ‘Celebrity 100′ list, and the list is reported on an
annual basis.
Girls’ Generation claimed the top two spots under the categories
of most articles published, the highest number of television
advertisements, TV appearances, and more. Additionally, the #1
celebrity most wanted by broadcasting companies is none other than
Girls’ Generation, and the girls shot 36 television advertisements
last year alone, and their album ‘The Boys‘ released late last year
has sold over 380,000 copies.
The interesting thing to note about this year’s list is that 10
of the top 20 celebrities are idol singers. Here’s the breakdown of
the idols in the top 20: Girls’ Generation in at #1, Big Bang at #
2, IU at #3, KARA at #4, B2ST at #9, 2PM at #11, JYJ at #13,
TVXQ at #15, Super Junior at #16, and T-ARA
at #17. The reason why these idols have made the list is because
they have played a huge part in spreading K-pop awareness all over
the globe. Flash mobs from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris,
and more began requesting performances from their favorite K-pop
artists in their home countries, and cover-dance teams emulating
K-pop choreographies have grown in number.
The only celebrities from last year’s list who made it within
the top 10 this year are Olympic Gold medalist figure skater Kim
Yuna, actor/singer Lee Seung Gi, and Manchester United soccer
player Park Ji Sung. Of all the celebrities, Kim Yuna has had the
most media influence.
The list of Top 20 is as follows :
1.) Girls’ Generation
2.) Big Bang
3.) IU
4.) KARA
5.) Kim Yuna (World Champion Figure Skater & Olympic Gold
Medalist)
6.) Lee Seung Gi (Actor / Singer)
7.) Park Ji Sung (Midfielder for Manchester United & former
Captain of Korean National Soccer Team)
8.) Kim Tae Hee (Actress / Model)
9.) B2ST
10.) Park Tae Hwan (Champion Swimmer & Olympic Gold
Medalist)
11.) 2PM
12.) Kang Ho Dong (Comedian / MC)
13.) JYJ
14.) Shin Se Kyung (Actress)
15.) TVXQ
16.) Super Junior
17.) T-ARA
18.) Shin Soo Choo (Major League Baseball Player for Cleveland
Indians, Silver at World Baseball Classic, Gold at Asian Games)
19.) Yoo Jae Suk (Comedian / MC)
20.) Lee Chung Yong (Footballer for Premier League club Bolton
Wanderers)
from allkpop.com
