The Korean Business Research Institute has released its actor brand reputation rankings for September 2026, and the competition at the top is incredibly close. Song Kang claimed the No. 1 spot with a brand reputation index of 4,351,209, while Seo Kang Jun followed closely at No. 2 with 4,319,536—a difference of just 31,673 points. The rankings were built from a big data analysis of 100 actors who appeared in dramas, movies, or OTT content between August 22 and September 22, 2026. A total of 137,888,841 pieces of brand big data were measured across participation, media, communication, and community indexes.
How the Rankings Were Calculated
The Korean Business Research Institute analyzed brand big data using four main indexes: participation, media, communication, and community. These were weighted and converted into a single brand reputation index. The total data volume for September dropped by 11.22% compared to August, which had 155,311,039 pieces of data. The institute’s director, Koo Chang Hwan, noted that brand consumption fell 15.03%, brand issues dropped 8.61%, brand communication decreased 11.38%, and brand spread went down 9.81%.
Song Kang Takes the Top Spot
Song Kang is currently starring in the drama “Four Hands, Two Sonatas,” which has been performing well in viewership. The show started with a 3.4% rating and climbed to a personal best of 7.9% by episode 8. His brand reputation index of 4,351,209 was powered by a participation index of 1,121,197, a media index of 1,129,060, a communication index of 1,052,119, and a community index of 1,048,833.
“The Song Kang brand drew consumer attention through his passionate performance in ‘Four Hands, Two Sonatas’ and ranked first,” said Koo Chang Hwan, director of the Korean Business Research Institute.
Seo Kang Jun Lands at No. 2
Seo Kang Jun is starring in “A Love Other Than Yours” alongside Ahn Eun Jin. His brand reputation index of 4,319,536 was just barely behind Song Kang. Seo Kang Jun actually scored higher in the participation index with 1,136,209, but his media index (1,128,543), communication index (1,035,151), and community index (1,019,634) were slightly lower than Song Kang’s. His drama, however, has struggled in viewership, staying in the 2% range across its first four episodes, starting at 2.6% and hovering between 2.5% and 2.8%.
Kong Hyo Jin Completes the Top 3
Kong Hyo Jin took third place with a brand reputation index of 3,786,777. She recently starred in the hit drama “A Bona Fide Killer” and has returned to romantic comedy, earning her the nickname “rom-com queen.” Her participation index was 563,648, media index 1,010,486, communication index 1,252,368, and community index 960,275.
“The Seo Kang Jun brand, which draws its story through his eyes, ranked second, and the Kong Hyo Jin brand, which returned as the rom-com queen, took third place,” Koo Chang Hwan explained.
Go Youn Jung and Kim Hye Soo Round Out the Top 5
Go Youn Jung ranked fourth with a brand reputation index of 3,511,033. Kim Hye Soo, who recently starred in “The Affair Was Just the Beginning,” came in fifth with 3,461,062.
The Full Top 30 List for September 2026
The complete ranking covers actors from dramas, films, and OTT platforms. Here is the full list from No. 1 to No. 30:
- Song Kang
- Seo Kang Jun
- Kong Hyo Jin
- Go Youn Jung
- Kim Hye Soo
- Jeon Hye Won
- Lee Jun Young
- Jung Hae In
- Jang Dong Yoon
- Park Ji Hoon
- Ahn Eun Jin
- Byeon Woo Seok
- Han So Hee
- Jo Yeo Jeong
- Hyun Bin
- Jung Jun Won
- Ha Ji Won
- Kwak Si Yang
- Lee Jun Hyuk
- Heo Nam Jun
- Bae Suzy
- Byun Yo Han
- Son Ye Jin
- Noh Jae Won
- Kim Si A
- Yoo Seung Ho
- Lee Won Jung
- Gong Yoo
- Kim Yo Han
- Jang Gyu Ri
The full list was confirmed through multiple sources, including the Soompi report and the Dtoday breakdown.
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Notable Names and Shifts
Several actors made notable appearances in the top 15. Jeon Hye Won ranked sixth, Lee Jun Young seventh, Jung Hae In eighth, Jang Dong Yoon ninth, and Park Ji Hoon tenth. Ahn Eun Jin, who stars opposite Seo Kang Jun in “A Love Other Than Yours,” ranked eleventh. Byeon Woo Seok and Han So Hee followed at twelfth and thirteenth. Hyun Bin landed at fifteenth.
The rankings also reflect the growing role of OTT platforms in shaping actor visibility. The Korean Business Research Institute noted that as the OTT market expands, actors’ activity areas have widened, leading to a broader big data analysis that combines film actors, drama actors, and web media actors into one integrated ranking.
Also Read: Kong Hyo Jin Tops September Drama Actor Brand Reputation Rankings; Song Kang and Jung Jun Won Follow
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on your favorite Korean actors and the shows they are leading this season.
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