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)
Do you agree with the Forbes list?
JYJ3 
wow!! CONGRATS JYJ
It’s amazing!!!! Our boys in Forbes AND with no mainstream tv appereances……….JYJ fighting!!!!!
Yaya! But they would’ve ranked higher if they were broadcasted -___- jyj fighting!
You’re absolutely right @Ali
If only Skorea could put in more effort to level the playing field and achieve equality among the players… JYJ would have made it to the top…
Fighting!
They got all the bullies and ban everywhere but still in the list…that awesome ^__^
@Anva, sweetie, you’re right.
i thought the same 🙂
Yep!!! Agreed !!!
This is hilarious. Many of those people don’t earn any money – it all goes straight to the companies they represent. And with a few of those people they’re obviously looking at gross, not net, which does not imply profit or actual success. Korean Forbes is also extremely biased – I’ve seen some of the stories they’ve run the past couple of years and they appear to clearly be a mouthpiece for someone.
Hear hear, I agree with you. They consider the full revenue they generate versus income towards their artists.
The way SM works is that they would give full attention to one of their idol groups and ascertain that they will claim as many awards and go onto many shows and go all over the world as much as possible. The rest is evenly distributed without stealing the limelight of their focus group. In business it’s strategic, in human rights it’s an insult.
Imagine how much funds they obtain from the government and investors for creating a hype that was never really a hype in the first place. Slimy and disgusting tactics.
Regarding your last paragraph, that’s EXACTLY what they do and it makes me crazy. People don’t believe me when I tell them how much of certain artists’ “success” is largely careful media and resource manipulation. But yes, that’s how SM decided to survive after the 2009 debacle – they ingratiated themselves with the government even more and made themselves appear “indispensable” to the spread of Hallyu across the world by largely faking success. The people with power in Korea will never let SM be hurt because they are blinded by national pride. Hopeful fans think SM will get what’s coming to them eventually, but it’ll never happen unless something major happens. TT_TT
Ahh! But there’s a time for everything. Once we thought DB5K were inseperable, extremely happy, well fed and well paid. We were wrong. Now it also seems that SME will never fall, but thats not true. So far as they continue their shady tactics, there will be a time it will fall like a big tree. And when it falls, it won’t be able to rise again, because its time to shine will be over. There’s a time for everything.
Sigh. Wish I could agree with you. I can’t imagine anything that SM could do that would lose them the government’s favor and allow them to be exposed. Shady tactics are not discouraged here. With all the trouble SME has been in in the past (Interpol’s Most Wanted, anyone?), it has only made them receive even more support from the government. Korea is a place where problems are covered up, not fixed.
And actually for years Korean fans had no illusions about TVXQ’s reality. They knew they were abused and broke. 😦
One thing to keep in mind. Governments change from time to time. The progressives have been making head way bit by bit. This cannot go unnoticed. Those who are in power and who support them, can only wonder how long their luck will hold out. The progressives capturing the mayoral office in Seoul was a big deal. One news article commented it is the second most powerful elected office in the country. Stands to reason…Seoul is the largest city with approx. 11M people. The office of president is up for re-election in November. So again, there is always a first time for everything, given the right conditions. There are a number of social issues facing SK right now, they cannot continue to be ignored.
Yup, that’s pretty much the thinking. An overhaul of the government could perhaps fix things. I think it’s the only thing that could.
Yes, given the fact that this is revenue based, and the revenue goes to the company, this is more like a bubble. The amount of money spent on the promotions for GG will still have to be subtracted from the revenue. This is why despite being able to bring their stock level back up a bit, their financial report does not indicate a huge net profit. Bubbles burst. It happens all the time. They can print all the words they want to, does not change what the reality is.
And yes, for artists who are not allowed to play on an even playing field, the mere presence of JYJ in the top 20 is not to be taken lightly. Just imagine this scenario…for all the drama that SME creates trying to block JYJ, they are effectively paying for JYJ’s promotional costs. How sweet is that?
¡VERY SWEET!!!! ¡YEAH!
This is quite impressive for JYJ since they do not really have much activities as compared to those who get the privilege of getting into variety shows, having their own tv and radio shows, and can freely hold concerts in Korea and japan. As Junsu stated, out of 10, they could only accomplish 2-3 gigs ( I guess annually). This income thing is based on gross, right? Damn! JYJ’s earning so much then with not much activities coming their way. And they’re still considered influential in Korean entertainment? That amazes me.
um… er… an album is not the only revenue for an idol….. cf, drama, variety appearances money goes to the artists. so if an artist does a lot cf or get really good cf deal contract… then payout can be really big…. that is how most of the idols make most of their money, not from their albums but from these CF, drama, and variety appearances…. just saying.
Girls Generation had like 35 CF’s but they were not even on the list of Cf top earners. Big Bang and JYJ were in Top 3 or 4 of it. I think this forbes list was based more on hype and visibility/exposure.
Yeap artist get more from other fix shows n cf
But do u remember the division of income for those thing?
The artist only got 40% out of the dealing, 60% still goes to SM 🙂
So litteraly snsd not really getting much/more from jyj
What I proud is JYJ really made some statement there
And also bigbang! Now that’s a group with good proportion of profit
Hehehe
So I dun think forbes korea is that bias, esp seeing 2pm not even top 10
@pian snsd being number 1 is not shocking to be honest with u. SNSD is all over in korea. I read a lot so I know some articles that talk about this. I will look them up.
1. www(dot)allkpop(dot)com(no space)/2011/12/(no space)lee-seung-gi-and-snsd-gets-crowned-as-2011s-cf-king-and-queens
2. www(dot)allkpop(dot)com(no space)/2011/01/(no space)who-are-the-most-expensive-cf-stars
3. www(dot)allkpop(dot)com(no space)/2011/06/(no space)who-are-the-top-seven-male-cf-stars
SNSD is very popular…. like u have no idea. Go to korea and u see for urself or just ask a fellow korean. I am not a sone but i realize that there is no denying snsd popularity in korea….. i feel odd sticking up for them considering I am not a huge fan of snsd….
@Mari_sol
I never said I was shocked that SNSD’s ranked 1st. I know they’re the IT girls in Asia right now. I’m talking about solely on income, sweetie. Don’t misconstrue me.
@pian i wasn’t trying to do that though…. O_0
@Mari_sol, never use Allkpop as a realistic or holistic picture of what goes on in Korea.
That’s the difference between hype and reality. Yes, SNSD is “everywhere” in Korea but that doesn’t equal popularity. I mean, they are popular of course, but honestly it’s not like the hype makes it out to be. Koreans are constantly told by the media how popular SNSD is with insanely exaggerated accounts of overseas accomplishments, so if you ask a Korean if SNSD is popular, they’ll say yes (plus, if you’re a foreigner of course they’ll say it out of national pride, too, because the government is backing SNSD). In my experience, it’s hard to find many Koreans who actually LIKE SNSD, though. (Obviously many do, but…) Opinions will vary, of course, but as a resident of Korea I feel reasonably confident that my experiences are more accurate than Allkpop’s. I guess my main point is don’t misunderstand the Allkpop version of real life.
I don’t even know why we’re having to lecture each other on how popular SNSD here on a JYJ site. LOL
@jyj truthiness,
LOL, I suppose this talk of SNSD sprung out by the very fact that they have been over hyped and many fans would defend that popularity based on materials brought by the media. And you are right, Allkpop is a news source that only translates single articles by the Korean media, which we all know are a mouthpiece to some corporation. Like their concert in Paris and New York, how they claim 70% were non-asians and during the television broadcast all you see are foreigners cheering them on. I get the feeling this is exactly what happened when DBSK started gaining popularity – the over hype.
If JYJ were able to perform on stage on screen, no boundaries or cockblocking whatsoever, we know where they should stand in this list.
Yup.
Hi Mommy Hen !!!Hugs !!!
yup ! 🙂
Third Yup!~~~ 😛
Definitely…
Even without promoting on TV they are still on this list. Amazing.
No, i don’t………..
I can’t believe in that…..
SNSD 1st list, it’s little bit??? because of full support of SoMe1
why JYJ’s 13??? I think they deserve 1st place because no artists like JYJ are being banned to appear on TV but they’re still popular everywhere.
do KForbes need to compared to A.For, it’s so biased!!!
not agree thought
They probably based it on how much work the artist do and how much money they make for their company and the number of tv appearances. Based on tv appearances alone, JYJ would have lost (because being on those music programs alone is a whole lot of broadcast time – music bank music core etc). This means that their world tour and their income alone placed them this far up (even though I think they deserve even higher still), which is awesome. lf it was income alone, they will be hitting at top 1-5.
It is obvious that Forbes Korea is influenced by hype. Correct me if I’m wrong…which of SME’s artists ranked in the top 10 grosses for advertising? I seem to recall BB and JYJ were there. Does anyone recall any SME artists? So, most number of ad appearances did not necessarily translate into earnings. Oh. Still all that promotion, and for what, a first place title that practically means nothing?
LSM has been on their cover as the hero of Korea. So yes, hype.
I guess this is why JYJ left. To the boys, all they saw was their names on top lists (1st here, 1st there), and huge album sales being recorded left and right. To them that should spell big profit and big pay. But all they got was a deficit. Who would understand that. If you’re reporting everywhere that I’m #1 and making a lot of money, then let my bank account show the same thing. But SME was just SME. So eithr SME eats/swallows whole all the boys profits (which I greatly believe) or it’s was all just a hype (which would be incredibly sad). I hope for SME’s own sake, they are paying SNSD much much better than they did DB5K. Because I can see SNSD splitting too for the same reasons that DB5K split, if SME does not change.
Not me. A girl group could never do what JYJ did. We saw what happened when KARA tried. Culturally, I don’t think it could happen. Women really are taught to be helpless to a large extent, especially girls like that who have been under SM’s wing since they were incredibly young. Plus, SM’s tightened things up contractually to make sure no one is ever able to do what JYJ did again, accompanied by a constant media assault bragging about how well they treat SNSD. 😐
Don’t forget “professionalism.” LOL Wonder how one goes about ranking professionalism?
honestly the viewership rating for music shows like music bank, music core and inkigayo are really small. it usually range around 5% to 6% in ratings. It’s really rare to see it double digit.
The percent figures you posted reminded me of an article that I found linked inside of another one that addresses SK’s attempt to curtail the gaming addiction in the country. What struck me the most was the figure under the title of the article…”An estimated 17M people in a country of 48M play regularly”.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17175353/ns/technology_and_science-games/t/forget-reality-tv-korea-online-gaming-it/#.TzwteUxWqOk
The article goes on to provide some demographics regarding ages and so forth. But what made this article stand out to me, was the fact that if THIS many people are engaged in gaming, how are they watching reality and music shows? An since this is considered an addiction problem, why WOULD they be watching reality and music shows. Note that they even talk about how early in age they start.
For me, this brings up a whole set of questions about how valid the whole music show business is. Hope others can provide some insight I might be missing.
I wish I had insight. I often wonder how those shows stay afloat. Apparently the performers’ pay is extremely low, but even if people performed for free I don’t see how they stay in business, especially because they keep getting more elaborate and thus expensive to produce.
In addition to the gambling addicted crowd, kids/teens don’t watch them during broadcast because they study ALL the time. The internet seems to be how they watch snatches of them, which nets zero money for the networks.
I’m actually happy with their #13 spot. They beat out Homin and SJ with absolutely no support from anyway–or should I say despite individuals active c–kblocking attempts. It is a bit of an insult that the likes of 2pm, SNSD and B2st placed higher but *eh* I guess. The only idols above them that deserved their spot would be BB and IU IMO.
Grr.
*Anyone
Suju’s not famous in Korea. They just sell albums because their devoted fans are notoriously known for bulk buying. I just wonder why they’re famous in international fandom. I don’t see anything special about them. The only thing I could agree on with LSM is his viewpoint of Suju being the leftovers/remnants from when he formed DBSK (which he still considers as his cream of the crop).
Ouch. Just say what you really think (:
SuJu have had very high visibility on TV, with regular spots on at least 2 variety shows, as well as music shows and a regular radio show. They had a hit album in 2011. This doesn’t rank talent but visibility and influence. I’m surprised with all that they didn’t rank higher. My guess is the only reason is they are in a bit of a squabble with SM right now and have never been promoted by them.
@Lisa
“My guess is the only reason is they are in a bit of a squabble with SM right now and have never been promoted by them.”
Because of LSM still has not changed his perception of Suju, I guess.
Truth hurts, right? 🙂
totally agree with @pian. suju is not that popular in korea. every time i tell the i-elfs, they bash me. i think sorry sorry has a lot do with their popularity in international fandom. Also Suju-M also contribute to their popularity. Hangeng was really popular one in suju-m before he left and did his own thing.
I remember that song was really a big hit. I remember in a taiwanese drama, the main cast did the sorry sorry dance (love buffet if i remember correctly)(heck i think saw the dance in you’re beautiful kdrama too) and in taiwanese variety shows too. I think I even saw prisoners from Philippines doing that dance too.
@Mari_sol
Just ignore them sweetie. I just don’t get why they’re famous outside of Korea. They were only famous because of Sorry, Sorry and that’s about it. I don’t see them as artists. They’re more of entertainers.
Actually, Super Junior is fairly popular in Korea. I was shocked by how much their last album sold, and while I’m sure bulk buying occurred, I saw tons of people going to the counters of music stores buying a normal one copy each. I saw way way way more people buying Super Junior’s album than I did buying SNSD’s.
Dun underestimate beast, their first concert considered more success than 2PM n suju
N i understand why snsd rank 1st, base on male population n children n teen, snsd is widely known, they even flew to us n spread hallyu successfully there
So yeah, i agree with the rank mostly.
Sorry if i sound like not supporting JYj , juz trying to be objective,
But i believe if JYJ gets the same chances, :> our babies will defenitely done better job kakakakakaka
“they even flew to us n spread hallyu successfully there ”
I’m not going to get into whether their bought-and-paid-for “debut” in the USA was good, bad, or otherwise, but saying they “spread hallyu successfully there” is something the delusional Korean media would write. It’s quite over-exaggerated.
Congrats to JYJ for making it on the list even without being able to promote on tv. Yes it is true that they would of appeared higher on the list if they were able to appear on tv. However, it is still a big accomplishment because of the same reason. So I say yeah for them!
glad they make into the list despite all those blocking stuff 🙂
Yeayers JYJ! U d best in ur fans eyes and heart 🙂
If yoo jae suk rank lower than idols, means that this list is a joke
agree!.. well, he cant be higher than jyj though.. HUAHUHAUAA..
Well, on one hand I agree but strangely he seems to advertise very few things. In the last couple years I’ve only seen him do CFs for two products: a dish-washing liquid (or laundry soap?) and one of the million fried chicken chains (with some random girl group). I’ve always found it odd because he has such broad demographic appeal.
Hurray for JYJ still on the list despite the cock blocking.
but
Can someone explain to me…
How did the National MC ranks lower? and more confusingly, YJS ranked lower than KHD?
WAE?
Despite all the cockblocking that JYJ is receiving, they still manage to get on that list. JYJ doing those CF deals, drama appearances, ambassadorship, musicals, and clothing deals is really paid off for them. I can only imagine how higher on the list they would have been if they weren’t block by sme.
When i see snsd on top and kim yuna at 5th i think there must be sumthin wrong..cmon, yuna and park ji sung definitely more ‘global’ and heroic for korea right?
Anw, i quite happy with jyj being placed higher than suju(i thought suju’s everywhere??) and homin..jyj is only 2 yrs old, ne?they do accomplished soo much! Proud to be a fan!
Except for SPAO, Suju doesn’t currently advertise anything that I can recall in Korea. And of course SPAO is run by SME. (I may have missed something.)
who is shin se Kyung? does she play in some hollywood movie? hehe sorry oot
She was in Tree with deep roots
very popular in korea, she got what the korean like to call the bagel look. (aka sexy girl with a baby face…. don’t ask me what a bagel has to do with it.) she also one of those actresses that really got a lot of attention after her stint in that very popular sitcom show, high kick.
So she’s more famous than Han Hyo Joo?
Wouldn’t necessarily say she’s more famous per se, but she’s definitely up-and-coming, an actress to watch. She’s had good projects so far, with dramas, movies and cf deals. Han Hyo Joo has more visibility and public awareness, but it’s also because of her seniority over Shin SeKyung.
@Mari_sol
bagel girl is a combination of baby face + glamorous body (which basically just means voluptous). In korean, the way they say glamorous is not “glam-o-rous” but “gel-a-mo-ro-su(?)”
Hi ^_^ Um you seem to know a lot about Korea so I’m just a bit curious….. how popular is JYJ in Korea?
Dunno who you were addressing but I’m dumping in my 2 cents.
JYJ are very popular, but sadly many/most people (especially adults) don’t recognize their name. If you say “JYJ”, they are trying to hear it as a word, not three letters and/or they honestly don’t even know their name. But if you say the 3 that left TVXQ, they definitely know who you mean. I have met people of ALL ages who LOVE JYJ as their #1. I am being totally honest that I meet more young people who say JYJ is their favorite than any other single artist. Seems there is a core of really diligent fans, but many fans are kind of out of the loop and have no idea what’s going on.
Their dramas have gone a long way toward spreading their names, especially Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I believe that drama truly saved JYJ.
I think it will be absurd for the idols who made the list not to be on the list in the order they are taking in account that their promotions are up to wazoo, now wouldn’t it?
JYJ is holding their own pretty well despite all the challenges, and they are growing by leaps and bounds. Let’s keep growing, JYJ!
they deserve to be in top 5 ^^
Very proud of JYJ^^, if they were not block and bullied by SoMeone and his
affiliates, their position would be way up higher!!
Well done JYJ. 🙂
I supposed if the ranking is based on the percentage of true revenues into their bank accounts against the activities they have, JYJ will be one of the top!
Proficiat for JYJ!! Please, enjoy your wealth and fame, but don’t forget share a little for misfortune people.
Which they always do~
of course,…that’s why i love them moreeee
This is ridiculous. I don’t like all korean singers except JYJ, so i want that only JYJ could be in the list. That’s fine with famous MC, sport player, comedian… on the top, but no idol singers! ! ! I am that biased. Say again, only JYJ >”<
hm, really? maybe the broadcasting companies wanted them, but i do wonder about the viewers. i can only give this one example. i watched running man every week and followed its rating, but snsd special isn’t getting much hypes in the news and the rating isn’t that good. meanwhile, big bang special is getting very much attention and iu’s appearance in ep 77 is the highest rating ever. i wonder if snsd really have that star effect… imo, sm heavily promoting them will eventually lead to people felt nothing special about them in tv. they should learn from yg.
but anyway, if these broadcasting companies want jyj on their list, one will wonder why they can’t be seen on tv :rolls eyes:
I don’t want to sound CRUEL but I’m so happy that JYJ beat Homin ….This just show that if you believe in yourself there’s nothing you can’t achieve even the sky is not the limit ….
I´m not a fan of HoMin (I ´m indiferent towards them now), but I don´t feel it is right so say/write such a remark. Jae is the most humble, nice and polite idol I know so I don ´t thing he would approve to it. But please, don´t take this personally. Peace?
Regardless of all the blocking and BS threw to uri JYJ, they made it to #13, not bad already. And beside, the most importantly is, they have control over their earnings and do what they want to do!
Right !!! Well said !! Murasaki…
Fighting, JYJ!! Despite everything, you have manged to succeed and we’re proud of you.♥