RESCENE has claimed the No. 1 spot in the September 2026 Korean star brand reputation rankings, beating football star Son Heung Min, trot singer Lim Young Woong, and global K-pop giants BTS. The Korean Business Research Institute released the full rankings on September 29, 2026, based on big data collected from August 29 to September 29, 2026. The analysis covered 217,250,879 pieces of star brand data, a 1.41% increase from August.
The rankings measure four core indexes — participation, media, communication, and community — across entertainers, singers, actors, sports figures, and idol groups. RESCENE’s win marks a rare moment where a relatively new girl group outranks both sports icons and established K-pop acts in overall star power.
Quick Answers
- Who topped the September 2026 star brand reputation rankings? RESCENE (girl group)
- Who came second and third? Son Heung Min (footballer) and Lim Young Woong (trot singer)
- Where did BTS rank? No. 4 overall
- When were the rankings announced? September 29, 2026
- Who conducted the analysis? Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute
- What period was covered? August 29 – September 29, 2026
Full Top 30 Star Brand Reputation Rankings for September 2026
RESCENE, Son Heung Min, Lim Young Woong, BTS, and Yoo Jae Suk form the top five in the September 2026 star brand reputation rankings. The complete top 30 list, as released by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, is:
- RESCENE
- Son Heung Min
- Lim Young Woong
- BTS
- Yoo Jae Suk
- BLACKPINK
- IVE
- SEVENTEEN
- Song Kang
- ATEEZ
- Park Ji Hoon
- Stray Kids
- Kim Do Young
- Kim Hye Soo
- Seo Kang Jun
- NCT
- Taeyeon
- Park Ji Sung
- Joo Woo Jae
- EXO
- TWICE
- Lee Jung Hoo
- PSY
- Lee Chan Won
- aespa
- WOODZ
- Wanna One
- SHINee
- Park Ji Hyun
- Shin Min A
Why RESCENE Topped the September 2026 Star Brand Reputation Rankings
RESCENE’s dominance came from strong performance across music, broadcast, and advertising, backed by a brand reputation index of 10,516,714 — a 3.31% rise from August. The group’s detailed index breakdown shows overwhelming strength in communication and community engagement:
- Participation Index: 819,397
- Media Index: 1,284,152
- Communication Index: 4,885,550
- Community Index: 3,527,615
Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute Director Koo Chang Hwan credited RESCENE’s chart performance and market presence:
“RESCENE brand recorded overwhelming share in broadcasting, music, video, and advertising sectors. The RESCENE brand ranked first.”
The group’s singles “Love Attack,” “Pretty Girl,” and “Deja Vu” have remained strong on music charts, keeping public conversation about the group consistently high throughout the measurement period. RESCENE is also the top rookie idol group for the third consecutive month and the top girl group for two straight months.
Son Heung Min’s 373 Percent Surge to No. 2
Son Heung Min jumped to second place with a brand reputation index of 8,514,454, a massive 373.02% increase from August when his index was just 1,800,015. This is the largest month-over-month gain among all top 10 stars in September.
The football star’s index breakdown:
- Participation Index: 376,887
- Media Index: 1,402,669
- Communication Index: 3,769,020
- Community Index: 2,965,878
The institute attributed his rise to “challenging new football records” that kept him in headlines and public discussion throughout September. Son’s return to competitive form and media visibility pushed him past BTS, Lim Young Woong, and every other entertainer in the overall star rankings.
Lim Young Woong at No. 3 and BTS at No. 4
Lim Young Woong secured third place with a brand reputation index of 8,104,844, while BTS took fourth with 7,712,076. Lim also ranked No. 1 in the separate trot singer brand reputation rankings for the 69th consecutive month, with a brand reputation index of 6,071,113.
The trot singer’s 10th debut anniversary album has kept him in steady public conversation. Director Koo Chang Hwan noted: “Lim Young Woong brand, which does not miss the top of trot music charts, ranked second” in the singer-specific category.
BTS maintained strong visibility through their ARIRANG World Tour, with the North American leg drawing global attention. The group ranked No. 2 in the separate idol group brand reputation rankings for September.
Yoo Jae Suk Completes the Top 5
Yoo Jae Suk ranked fifth with a brand reputation index of 6,274,256, continuing his long-standing presence at the top of Korean entertainment. The institute described him as “the national MC who is trusted and watched, firmly holding his position.”
The top 5 in the September star rankings includes three categories of fame: K-pop (RESCENE, BTS), sports (Son Heung Min), and traditional entertainment and trot (Lim Young Woong, Yoo Jae Suk). This mix shows how Korean brand reputation rankings measure influence across entertainment, athletics, and broadcast.
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September 2026 Actor Brand Reputation Rankings
Song Kang topped the actor brand reputation rankings with an index of 4,319,536, followed by Seo Kang Jun at No. 2 with 3,786,777 and Kong Hyo Jin at No. 3 with 3,786,777. The drama actor rankings released on September 15 placed Kong Hyo Jin at No. 1, Song Kang at No. 2, and Jung Joon Won at No. 3.
Song Kang’s rise is tied to his ongoing drama projects and strong viewer engagement. Seo Kang Jun followed closely, with the gap between the top two actors described as “30,000 points” in some reports.
The top 30 drama actors for September 2026:
- Kong Hyo Jin
- Song Kang
- Jung Joon Won
- Lee Jun Young
- Ha Suk Jin
- Kim Hye Soo
- Seo Kang Jun
- Jeon Hye Won
- Park Ji Hoon
- Jo Yeo Jeong
- Ryu Jun Yeol
- Ahn Eun Jin
- Bae Jung Nam
- Jung Eun Chae
- Ahn Bo Hyun
- Byeon Woo Seok
- Ahn Hee Yeon
- Kim Hye Joon
- Suzy
- Yoon Yoo Sun
- Ji Sung
- Heo Nam Jun
- Jung Hae In
- Seol Kyung Gu
- Lee Min Jung
- Park Yoo Na
- Jang Seo Hee
- Yoo Seung Ho
- Ha Yoon Kyung
- Lee Won Jung
In the rising actor rankings, Song Kang also placed No. 1, with Seo Kang Jun at No. 2 and Jang Dong Yoon at No. 3.
September 2026 Idol Group Brand Reputation Rankings
RESCENE also dominated the idol group brand reputation rankings, followed by BTS at No. 2 and BLACKPINK at No. 3. This was released separately on September 16 and covered data from August 16 to September 16.
The top 30 idol groups for September 2026:
- RESCENE
- BTS
- BLACKPINK
- ATEEZ
- CORTIS
- SEVENTEEN
- Stray Kids
- IVE
- BIGBANG
- Red Velvet
- izna
- EXO
- TWICE
- (G)I-DLE
- KiiiKiii
- aespa
- ILLIT
- NMIXX
- INFINITE
- Hearts2Hearts
izna recorded the biggest jump, rising 62 spots to No. 11 after their official Japanese debut and the start of their first concert tour, “2026-2027 izna Concert Tour: WHO DAT GIRL?” in Seoul. Their Japanese mini album “HANDLE WITH CARE” peaked at No. 2 on the Oricon Daily Album Ranking.
In the boy group brand reputation rankings, BTS ranked No. 1, followed by BIGBANG at No. 2 and ATEEZ at No. 3.
September 2026 Singer Brand Reputation Rankings
RESCENE topped the singer brand reputation rankings with an index of 9,587,604, an 11.78% increase from August. Lim Young Woong rose to No. 2 with 6,089,571 (up 14.96%), and BTS took No. 3 with 5,387,142.
ATEEZ climbed to No. 4 with 4,183,730, a 19.87% rise from August, while CORTIS rounded out the top five with 3,962,039. The singer rankings used data collected from August 26 to September 26, totaling 125,722,522 pieces of brand data.
The top 30 singers for September 2026 include RESCENE, Lim Young Woong, BTS, ATEEZ, CORTIS, BIGBANG, BLACKPINK, Sung Ri, Park Ji Hyun, Jang Han Byul, ILLIT, Hearts2Hearts, (G)I-DLE, SEVENTEEN, Kim Yong Bin, aespa, Lee Chan Won, LE SSERAFIM, TWICE, IVE, BIBI, izna, Jang Yoon Jeong, PSY, Epik High, Stray Kids, Lee Chang Sub, DK, Han Ro Ro, and IU.
How the Korean Brand Reputation Rankings Are Calculated
The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute analyzes big data across four indexes: participation, media, communication, and community. These are weighted and combined into a single brand reputation index. The data covers online consumer behavior, media coverage, social media interaction, and community discussion.
The September 2026 star rankings analyzed 217,250,879 data points, up 1.41% from August’s 214,223,214. The institute has been publishing these monthly rankings for years, and they are widely cited across Korean media as a measure of public visibility and sentiment.
RESCENE’s continued dominance across star, singer, idol group, and rookie categories in September 2026 shows that the group’s momentum is not slowing. With Son Heung Min’s record-breaking surge and BTS maintaining top-five presence despite a slight index dip, the September rankings reflect a shifting balance between K-pop, sports, and traditional entertainment in Korean public attention.
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