Lim Young-Woong Ranks #2 in Star Brand Reputation Index, Surpasses K-Pop Titans
South Korean singer Lim Young-Woong continues to solidify his stardom, earning the #2 spot in the April 2025 Star Brand Reputation Index, as revealed by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute.
Dominating the chart, BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) maintained their grip on the #1 position, followed by Lim Young-Woong in second and BLACKPINK in third. The top five was rounded out by Lee Jung-Hoo of the San Francisco Giants and the legendary K-pop group BIGBANG.
According to Goo Chang-Hwan, director of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, “Lim Young-Woong has reinforced his brand presence through multiple platforms, enhancing customer connectivity, which helped maintain his second-place ranking.”
The singer achieved remarkable brand scores including a Participation Index of 1,245,536, a Media Index of 2,235,868, a Communication Index of 2,206,464, and a Community Index of 2,158,823—culminating in an overall Brand Reputation Index of 7,846,690. Compared to March’s index of 6,944,819, his score marks a 12.99% increase.
The research institute analyzed 274,892,423 big data points between March 29 and April 29, 2025, assessing consumer behavior metrics across participation, media attention, communication, and community engagement. Star Brand data saw a slight monthly rise of 0.28%, emphasizing the influence of digital interactions on branding.
This branding measurement captures consumer sentiment and online behavior, analyzing positivity versus negativity, media impact, and interaction levels with stars through a weighted index that includes recommendation rankings.
Other notable entries in the top 30 include IVE, Son Heung-Min, Lee Byung-Hun, SEVENTEEN, Kim Yeon-Koung, and AESPA. The full Top 100 list spans a wide spectrum of entertainers, from K-pop idols like NCT and (G)I-DLE to sports figures such as Ryu Hyun-Jin and even global esports icon Faker.
Lim Young-Woong’s rise reaffirms that solo male artists are more than capable of standing toe-to-toe with global supergroups in Korea’s dynamic entertainment ecosystem.
