Forbes Korea magazine revealed its 2024 Power Celebrity 40 list, which it said is the Korean version of the highest paid celebrity 100 list selected by Forbes in the US.
It said the Power Celebrity 40 is also based on celebrity’s annual income (50 percent) and also quantifies the media, social media, and broadcasting influence (50 percent), and calculates the total score by adding up the four indicators.
“Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 focuses entirely on their activities. In other words, the more exposed to the public through active activities such as works (movies, dramas), games, broadcasts, performances, and advertisements during the survey period, the higher the estimated income and influence index,” Forbes Korea said in its report.
The top 10 in Forbes Korea's 2024 Power Celebrity 40
1. BLACKPINK (Instagram)
2. Son Heung-min (Instagram)
3. NewJeans (Instagram)
4. Kim Min-jae (Instagram)
5. Lim Young-woong (Instagram)
6. Lee Jung-hoo (Instagram)
7. BTS' Jimin (Big Hit Music)
8. Lee Kang-in (Instagram)
9. BTS' Jungkook (Big Hit Music)
10. IVE (X)
It said, “Therefore, no matter how well-known and marketable a celebrity is, if the public's attention falls or their activities are sluggish during the year, they are immediately expelled from the Power Celebrity 40 list.”
For the first time in seven years, Grammy-nominated K-pop boy band BTS did not make it to the Power Celebrity 40 list.
All BTS members are on hiatus due to their military service. Jin enlisted in December 2022 while the remaining six members entered the military in 2023. They will regroup in 2025.
BTS ranked first on the Power Celebrity 40 list in 2018 and from 2020 to 2023.
“All of the idols who entered the top 40 are girl groups, and the absence of a next-generation boy group after BTS is noticeable,” Forbes Korea wrote.
In selecting the Power Celebrity 40, Forbes Korea said the target were singers, actors, broadcasters and sports celebrities, and 100 celebrities with the highest number of searches on Daum Kakao portal from 2023 to 2024.
It said after filtering out people with judicial controversies, Forbes Korea investigated income, media exposure, broadcasting activities, and social media figures and applied statistical techniques to calculate the total score.
BLACKPINK topped the 2024 Power Celebrity 40 followed by football player Son Heung-min, girl group NewJeans, football player Jim Min-jae, trot singer Lim Young-woong, baseball player Lee Jung-hoo, BTS member Jimin, football player Lee Kang-in, BTS member Jungkook and girl group IVE.
Forbes Korea’s 2024 Power Celebrity 40
1. BLACKPINK (girl group)
2. Son Heung-min (football player)
3. NewJeans (girl group)
4. Kim Min-Jae (football player)
5. Lim Young-woong (trot singer)
6. Lee Jung-hoo (baseball player)
7. BTS’ Jimin (singer)
8. Lee Kang-in (football player)
9. BTS’ Jungkook (singer)
10. IVE (girl group)
11. Cha Eun-woo (singer, actor)
12. Jang Minho (trot singer)
13. Lee Sang-min (TV personality)
14. Dex (TV personality)
15. Ahn Eun-jin (actress)
16. Lee Chan-won (trot singer)
17. Kim Ho-joong (trot singer)
18. Kian84 (TV personality)
20. 2PM’s Lee Jun-ho (singer, actor)
21. Yoo Jae-seok (entertainer, comedian)
22. Son Tae-jin (singer)
23. Uhm Jung-hwa (actress)
24. Le Sserafim (girl group)
25. Yoona (singeer, actress)
26. Son Suk-ku (actor)
27. Lee Seung-gi (singer, actor)
28. Namkoong Min (actor)
29. Young Tak (trot singer)
30. IU (singer)
31. Park Eun-bin (actress)
32. Ryu Hyun-jin (baseball player)
33. Lim Ji-yeon (actress)
34. Lee Se-young (actress)
35. Sung Si-kyung (singer)
36. Go Youn-jung (actress)
37. Park Ji-hyun (actress)
38. Jung Dong-won (trot singer)
39. Park Seo-jin (trot singer)
40. Shin Hye-sun (actress)