The Korean Business Research Institute has announced its individual rookie idol brand reputation rankings for October 2025, and a familiar face has reclaimed the top spot. CORTIS‘s Keonho leads the list this month, demonstrating his continued popularity and influence. The rankings provide a monthly snapshot of which new idols are generating the most buzz online, based on an analysis of big data collected from September 3 to October 3. The results show strong fan engagement and media interest in the rising stars from groups like CORTIS, ILLIT, and Hearts2Hearts.
How the Brand Reputation is Measured
The brand reputation rankings are determined by a detailed analysis of several key factors drawn from vast amounts of big data. The Korean Business Research Institute examines the consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes for each rookie idol. This method goes beyond simple popularity contests, aiming to measure the real impact and presence of these idols in the public sphere. The data offers insights into who is being talked about, shared, and engaged with the most across various Korean online platforms.
The Top Five Rookies of October 2025
The competition was strong, but a few idols stood out with particularly high brand reputation indexes.
- CORTIS’s Keonho: Topping the list, Keonho achieved an impressive individual brand reputation index of 384,060. An analysis of the data surrounding him showed that netizens frequently used keywords like “CORTIS,” “What You Want,” and “GO.” His related terms were overwhelmingly positive, with “handsome,” “cute,” and “good-looking” ranking highest. The public’s response was notably positive, with 87.03 percent of reactions classified as positive.
- ILLIT’s Wonhee: Securing the second-place position, Wonhee recorded a brand reputation index of 357,459. Her consistent presence in the top rankings highlights her significant role within the popular rookie group ILLIT.
- Hearts2Hearts’s Ian: Taking third place, Ian earned a score of 245,449. His position in the top three indicates a solid and dedicated fanbase actively supporting him online.
- ILLIT’s Minju: Following closely behind in fourth place, Minju achieved a brand reputation index of 225,281. This score marks a 4.67 percent increase from her September results, showing a positive growth trend in her public visibility.
- CORTIS’s Juhoon: Rounding out the top five is another member of CORTIS, Juhoon, with a brand reputation index of 194,252. His presence ensures that CORTIS has a strong showing with two members in the top five.
Group Power: CORTIS Leads Rookie Group Rankings
The success of the individual members of CORTIS is mirrored in the group’s overall performance. In a separate ranking for rookie idol group brand reputation, also for October 2025, CORTIS claimed the top spot. The group’s total Brand Reputation Index was a massive 2,189,178, which was more than double the score of the group in second place. The analysis for the group category used an even larger dataset of 11,434,505 big data points, a significant increase from the previous month.
A director from the institute commented on the group’s performance, stating, “CORTIS, which ranked first, scored highly in link analysis for ‘intense,’ ‘hot,’ and ‘colorful.’ In keyword analysis, ‘fashion,’ ‘hip-hop,’ and ‘performance’ were prominent.” The group’s positive reception was further confirmed by a positive reaction rate of 85.62 percent.
The top five rookie groups for October 2025 are:
- CORTIS
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- KiiiKiii
- Hearts2Hearts
- AHOF
A Look at the Full Top 30 List
Beyond the top five, the individual rookie idol ranking features many other promising talents from a new generation of groups. The list includes members from KiiiKiii, MEOVV, TWS, izna, KATSEYE, and BABYMONSTER. BABYMONSTER’s Ahyeon, who appears in the 28th position, is a notable entry, showing that pre-debut members are already on the public’s radar. The full list of the top 30 individual rookie idols for October 2025 is:
- CORTIS’s Keonho
- ILLIT’s Wonhee
- Hearts2Hearts’s Ian
- ILLIT’s Minju
- CORTIS’s Juhoon
- KiiiKiii’s Jiyu
- Hearts2Hearts’s Jiwoo
- KiiiKiii’s Leesol
- MEOVV’s Anna
- CORTIS’s Martin
- ILLIT’s Moka
- CORTIS’s Seonghyeon
- TWS’s Shinyu
- izna’s Choi Jungeun
- ILLIT’s Yunah
- izna’s Bang Jeemin
- KiiiKiii’s Haeum
- TWS’s Dohoon
- Hearts2Hearts’s Yuha
- Hearts2Hearts’s A-na
- ILLIT’s Iroha
- Hearts2Hearts’s Carmen
- Hearts2Hearts’s Stella
- CORTIS’s James
- izna’s Mai
- KATSEYE’s Yoonchae
- izna’s Yoon Jiyoon
- BABYMONSTER’s Ahyeon
- Hearts2Hearts’s Ye-on
- MEOVV’s Ella
Also Read: K-ARMYs Criticized for Overwhelming Rookie Group CORTIS with BTS Comparisons
