Michelle Topham 
The Movie Star Brand Reputation list for January, 2026 has just been released by the Korean Business Research Institute.
The data covers the period November 16th to December 16th, 2026 and has Yoon Kye Sang, who recently starred in The Winning Try and is currently starring in Heroes Next Door, in the #1 spot.
At #2, we have Ha Jung Woo who starred in the films Nocturnal, Lobby, and The People Upstairs in 2025, with Heo Sung Tae (drama Good Boy and film Informant) at #3, Ryu Seung Ryong (The Dream Life of Mr. Kim) in the fourth spot, and Kim Woo Bin (Genie Make a Wish) finishing out the Top 5.
The rest of the Top 20 looks like this:
- Yoon Kye Sang
- Ha Jung Woo
- Heo Sung Tae
- Ryu Seung Ryong
- Kim Woo Bin
- Lee Byung Hun (KPop Hunters, The Match, No Other Choice)
- Lee Je Hoon (Taxi Driver 3)
- Lee Jung Jae (Squid Game 3, Nice to Not Meet You)
- Uhm Tae Goo (cameo role in Tempest)
- Lee Seo Jin (guest role in Dynamite Kiss)
- Ma Dong Seok (Twelve)
- Ko Kyu Pil (film The First Ride, dramas Heroes Next Door and Twelve)
- Jo Jung Suk (My Daughter is a Zombie)
- Jung So Min (Would You Marry Me)
- Go Youn Jung (Resident Playbook)
- Hyun Bong Sik (film Good News, drama Aema)
- Kim Young Kwang (film The First Ride, drama Walking on Thin Ice)
- Go Won Hee (Our Golden Days)
- Park Seo Joon (Surely Tomorrow)
- Gong Yoo (cameo Love Untangled, guest role Squid Game 3)
As you’ll see, the films and dramas the Top 20 actors starred in are all over the map this month, with only Twelve, Squid Game 3, and Heroes Next Door the K-dramas with more than one actor appearing on the list, while only movie The First Ride had several of its cast members being recognized this month.
As usual, the data was gathered by assessing the consumer participation, media coverage, social media mentions, interactions, and community awareness indexes of 50 top Korean movie actors in November and December.
Each actor does not currently have to be starring in a movie, just to have appeared in one in the past.
The latest Movie Star Brand Reputation list is the result.
And again, just like every month, while actors appearing on the list don’t really impact those of us who enjoy K-dramas (although it is fun to see your favorite star on it), ranking lists like this are important for the actors themselves.
A high placing draws attention to them, and can often open up opportunities for more work simply because drama/film production companies, advertisers, print media like to hire people who are popular.
About the Author
Rachel M. Reeves 
