10 most powerful Korean celebrities of 2021, revealed: K-pop superstars BTS and Blackpink, footballer Son Heung-min and comedian Yoo Jae-suk made Forbes’ prestigious list
Forbes Korea revealed its list of most powerful Korean celebrities, titled Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40. The annual list gauges the influence of superstars on the global stage based on media exposure, popularity on social media, TV appearances and earnings. The star-studded list includes the hottest K-pop idols, baseball players, trot singers and more who made significant contributions to Korean culture and the country’s global image.
So who made it to the top 10?
1. BTS
This year, they became the first Asian group to win the American Music Award for artist of the year, reports Teen Vogue.
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2. Blackpink
3. Ryu Hyun-jin
Olympic gold medallist Ryu Hyun-jin, also known as the “Korean monster”, became the first Korean-born pitcher to win the Warren Spahn award granted to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB).
In 2019, Ryu signed a four-year, US$80-million-dollar deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, reports CBS Sports. The 34-year-old reportedly earns an annual salary of US$20 million, per Spotrac. As of 2021, his net worth sits at US$35 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
4. Son Heung-min
The 29-year-old star became the first Asian player to score more than 50 goals in the Premier League in early 2020, helping his team reach the finals in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League in recent years, according to Goal. Son won the Fifa Puskás Award in 2020 for the best goal scored in the past 12 months. He’s also been named best footballer in Asia six times by Titan Sports.
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In July, the football star signed a new four-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur, which will keep him with the team through 2025, reports Yonhap News Agency. Son has an average annual salary of £7.28 million (about US$9.6 million), according to Spotrac.
5. Lim Young-woong
The 30-year-old singer was ranked 11 in a list of most expensive advertisement models. The star has dozens of endorsement deals for food, cosmetics, car and clothing brands under his belt. He earns about US$3.4 million just from advertisements alone, according to AllKpop.
6. Kim Kwang-hyun
Another left-handed Major League Baseball star, Kim Kwang-hyun, has played for the St. Louis Cardinals and in the KBO League for the SK Wyverns.
The starter-turned-reliever has become the club’s “dark horse”, saving his team from moving into a playoff position for two seasons, reports Yonhap News Agency. The 33-year-old player has an average salary of US$4 million, reports Spotrac.
7. Yoo Jae-suk
This year, the comedian took home the television category Daesang (grand prize) award at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for the second time since 2013, reports Koreaboo.
The 49-year-old comedian is the highest-paid television personality in Korea and among the most sought-after stars for endorsement deals. He earns up to US$21,000 per episode and about US$4.7 million in advertisement revenue, according to Cosmopolitan.
8. Young Tak
He then appeared in reality TV show Romantic Call Centre and Mister Trot F4 Academy, which helped further raise his stardom.
9. Jung Dong-won
The 14-year-old “little prince of trot” was an audience favourite and landed an impressive fifth place in Mr. Trot last year. The singer is also a prolific actor, and has starred in multiple films and shows included Mr. Trot: The Movie (2020), TV dramas Goosebumps (2021) and Goo Pil Soo Is Not There (2022) and TV shows The Racket Boys (2021), Hidden Singer: Season 6 (2020), among others, before releasing his first album “Nostalgia, A Generous Giving Tree” last month.
The “trot prodigy” is expected to be a future hallyu star.
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10. Jang Yoon-jeong
The 41-year-old trot star rose to fame after her single Eomeona! was released in 2004 following her 1999 debut. The song is largely credited in helping re-popularise trot music in South Korea. Jang is also the third most popular singer in the country, according to Ranker, and also one of the highest-paid. She has estimated fortune of about US$1 million, reports What’s The Net Worth.
- Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie and Lisa have cemented their status with deals with Chanel, Dior, YSL and Celine, and raked in billions of YouTube views for Ddu-Du Ddu-Du
- Winner of Mr. Trot Lim Young-woong, Major League Baseball Player Ryu Hyun-jin, Young Tak and Jang Yoon-jeong are also among the most influential hallyu stars, according to Forbes Korea