EXO, Yoo Ah In, and Hyeri Lead the 2016 Forbes Korea Top 40 Celebrity Power Rankings

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The list is out for Forbes Korea magazine’s annual ranking of the 40 Most Powerful Celebrities, a ranking that takes into account a whole host of factors including buzz, name recognition, successful projects, number of CFs, and so forth. I hope to forestall useless arguing since just because you/he/she think your oppa or unni is the most popular person on the planet doesn’t make it so, just sayin’. The biggest shocker of all power surges has got to be Hyeri of Girl’s Day who went from nowhere close to edging on the list last year to being a whopping #3 this year. Oh how one Answer Me 1988 and some aegyo will do for a career boost. She’s the first girl on the list, with the #1 spot going to EXO and Yoo Ah In impressively landing on #2. Yoo Ah In squeezing past Kim Soo Hyun (#5) in the actor category is quite a feat. The highest ranking actress on the list remains Jeon Ji Hyun at #8, and while K-netizens seem to hate IU she’s sitting pretty at the #9 spot. Check out the full list below.

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Forbes Korea 2016 Power Celebrity Top 40:

1. EXO (singing group)
2. Yoo Ah In (actor)
3. Hyeri of Girl’s Day (singer)
4. Girl’s Generation (singing group)
5. Kim Soo Hyun (actor)
6. Big Bang (singing group)
7. Park In Bee (athlete, golf)
8. Jeon Ji Hyun (actress)
9. IU (singer)
10. Kang Jung Ho (athlete, baseball)
11. Cha Seung Won (actor)
12. SHINee (singing group)
13. Yuna Kim (athlete, figure skating)
14. Hwang Jung Min (actor)
15. Yoo Jae Suk (MC)
16. Sohn Heung Min (athlete, football)
17. Choo Shin Soo (athlete, baseball)
18. Ryu Hyun Jin (athlete, baseball)
19. Sohn Yeon Jae (athlete, rhythmic gymnastics)
20. AOA (singing group)
21. Baek Jong Won (chef, TV personality)
22. Yoo Hae Jin (actor)
23. Ha Jung Woo (actor)
24. Lee Jung Jae (actor)
25. Kim Gura (MC)
26. Girl’s Day (singing group)
27. Shin Dong Yup (MC)
28. SISTAR (singing group)
29. Ki Sung Yueng (athlete, football)
30. Lee Kwang Soo (actor)
31. Lee Min Ho (actor)
32. Taeyeon of Girl’s Generation (singer)
33. Seolhyun of AOA (singer)
34. Zico of Block B (singer)
35. Zion.T (singer)
36. Jeon Hyun Moo (MC)
37. Hani of EXID (singer)
38. Oh Dal Soo (actor)
39. Suzy of Miss A (singer)
40. Lee Byung Hun (actor)


Comments

EXO, Yoo Ah In, and Hyeri Lead the 2016 Forbes Korea Top 40 Celebrity Power Rankings — 94 Comments

  1. Damn Girls Genration ,Kim Yuna,Jun Ji Hyun and IU are indestructible. I might be wrong but i see them on this list every year. These so called “trendy” female idols like Hyeri,Hani,Suzy etc, come and go ,but these ladies seem to be in top every year. Thats real measurement of popularity.

  2. Is Lee Kwang-soo really so popular? I don’t follow him at all so am a little surprised to see his name there with the more heavyweight actors.

  3. Very surprised to see Lee Min Ho so low in the ranks. Probably his lack of dramas last year? He only had one movie in the first half of year tho Kim Soo Hyun himself had just one drama and Jeon Ji Hyun had one movie and they are way higher. YAI surpassing KSH is a huuuuge feat but considering he’s worked his ass off last year in both movies + dramas, it would be weird if he couldn’t even do that I suppose.

    There’s another 30s under 30 Asian celebrities list Forbes released soon after this and in that Siwon, Yoona and G-Dragon are featured along with KSH – duhrr, obviously – as well as Kim Yuna. I was again surprised that didn’t have LMH at all, and not so surprised YAI was also not featured. Anyway I like these lists, they are fun to analyze heh.

    • Not even a fan and actully I dislike him but the under 30 asia forbes is SM mediaplay and one of the judges was SM CEO. Yoona and Siwon are not even more popular then Park Shin hye and Ljs. it was a obvious mediaplay to block other ex-SM members in Luhan and Kris while PSH, Ljs and LMH got blocked in the process so nothing of that is actual and SM calling themselves forbes asia. the Mediaplay is outspread in South Korea taking forbes tags and what not. Just wanna warn people from believing in any of these lists

      • LOL… I don’t think I’m going to just take your word for it or that anyone else should. The fact that you claim PSH or LJS is more popular than Siwon or Yoona is pretty ridiculous. Why? Because accept it or not, kpop has a larger, stronger and broader reach than Kdramas ever had. SNSD + Super Junior is better known in general by the kpop world and that itself makes them easily the bigger celebrities than kdrama actors are specially outside South Korea. There is a really good reason why only one K drama actor is in the list and that guy has been the most successful out of them all.

        Whether or not SM is media playing, I think I’d like to trust Forbes over someone’s words. It’s not just an ordinary list, it’s Forbes for god’s sake. The other names from other countries are very believable and I honestly have no reason to be doubting it.

      • No it’s not forbes the american one and they have nothing to do with it. it’s an independent group who are SM run that are calling themselves Forbes Asia.

        Siwon is not even a leading male actor let alone being held in the same breath as Lee Jong-Suk who is a leading Male both in korea and China while Siwon was only 3rd or somethings 5th or 7th. they are not on the same playing field

      • Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye can’t even make it on the Korea list, how can they be on the Asia list.

        I like koala’s preface, just because you think your favorites are the most popular people on the planet doesn’t doesn’t make it so.

      • That explained why the heck overrated EXO ranked top 1
        . Every Kpopper knows Big Bang is the king. I’m not fan of either group, just speaking of undeniable fact based on international/domestic reputation and pro music reviews. Don’t take this ranking seriously.

      • Can Siwon even make the Korea list the answer is no. because they are from small agencies and they are feed on. thats how things work in sk and there is no credit to where credit is due and thats how things role down there.

        Besides that the list was imo made to block the rising stars of Asia Today which are non-other then Ex-SM members in Luhan and Kris. they have become increasing influential and they are overshadowing everything so THIS was SM move to block them. I imagine the lawsuit is also heating up between them

      • @Aone

        Look, I’m not here to pick a fight or argue with you but you hardly make any sense to me. Kpop IS bigger than kdramas and even I, as someone who hates the aegyo and repetitive music and ridiculously stupid MVs of almost all kpop groups, can admit to that. It shows in the basic knowledge of people who don’t follow either as well as the way a kpop group can fill stadiums with 40k people in seconds vs most actors who just can’t. There’s obviously TONs of arguments why – 1. because an actor is one person vs many members 2. because concerts are their careers vs fanmeets being just a part of an actor’s extracurricular etc etc. But there’s absolutely no denying that kpop’s reach is bigger catering to a larger mass audience. You can deny this and I refuse to go further into this debate but honestly, this is common knowledge as far as I’m concerned.

        And now that someone else has mentioned in regards to PSH and LJS, they are not even in this list’s top 40. For people you keep calling B I G and more popular than the likes SM stars like Yoona, EXO whatever, they sure seem to embarass you words. Pick bigger stars because as much as you think they are popular, I have every reason to doubt that.

      • Koalas blog has fallen to the dogs..

        @Hmmm

        ”Kpop is bigger then Kdrama”

        You took 40k as numbers that they sold out? first of all how the hell would you sell that to non-korean speaking and non-hardcore Kpop circle fans the answer would be no which is logical.

        Example Dots just got 26-mio views on Youku within 24-hours while while I hear your voice and Doctor stranger who are not the biggest hits got respectively each almost 1-bil views on youku now we are talking PSY numbers only on chinese portals forget about if we add other International Portals. there is no age limit and Kpop fans are young and drool around on forums and fanwars while the real consumers don’t even socialize in Kdrama they just stik there HDMD stik to the TV and watch with there boyfriend or whatever they are legit consumers. Kdrama—————— Not even close ————- wall of china ————- kpop.. hope Kpop fans realize the truth and wake up from the slum

      • I think you underestimate Siwons and Yoonas popularity and huge impact SJ and SNSD have in Asia. There is really no legit proof that LJS and PSH are more popular than them but your own word. If i dared to guess, i would say Yoona is easily the most popular and famous one out of all of them.

    • Kdrama——–>Kpop because there is language barrier in kpop but not in Kdrama and has larger consumers with no age limits. Dramafever, Viki and other Kdrama portals get ridiculous high traffic that kpop would only dream about. realistically speaking Kdrama—–> wall of china——-> Kpop.. thats why Idols take roles in Kdrama because it was larger audience

      • Why idols like to do dramas? You think it’s because dramas have a larger audience? LMFAOOO, are you new? They want that because:

        1. Better reputation in Korea because actor >>>>>>>>>> idols
        2. Better working conditions because idols have insane schedules that is both unhealthy and extremely stressful
        3. Want to create their own identity as an individual instead of being a part of a group
        4. Prepare for a career later because idol life ends very soon after 30 for most – specially girls (and nope, I’m not being sexist, just stating facts and observations)
        5. They’ve always wanted to act but don’t have the talent for it so they used a different route.

        There are probably tons more reasons but I would be damned if one of them was because kdrama have a larger audience.

    • @Aone

      Fallen to the Dogs? Woah there, don’t be barking up your own house! You actually make a kdrama fan seem more immature and pathetic than most of kpop’s insane fangirls and that’s an achievement in and or itself. Congratulations. Also, apologies but my time is too precious to be arguing with someone like that unfortunately. Sigh.

      So have a field day in convincing yourself with your arrows and wall of Chinas because you ain’t getting me to reply to your nonsense anymore.

      • lmao.. whatever rocks your boat and you whoever is willing to believe will believe you. I don’t either need to carry this further. I delivered my case and point clearly I leave that to the readers imagination and logic. Peace N love my dear

      • I believe that list is for Asia’s most influential individual celebrities who has had a major impact last year. YAI is an 86 born, so he is under 30 as his birthday hasn’t passed yet. But as successful a year as YAI has had in 2015, he still is far from being amongst the most influential stars in Korea let alone Asia. I think his reach is great obviously, but people like KSH, JJH, etc are on a higher scale being Hallyu and popular Domestic actors for a very long time.

        Here’s the link to the Forbes list in case you’re interested (and it’s from the actual Forbes website so I am not even sure what others are claiming about it being Forbes Asia or whatever):

        http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2016/02/24/g-e-m-angelababy-soo-hyun-kim-and-the-actors-and-athletes-of-30-under-30-asia/#2d89d1dc65c7

      • KSH is a bigger name in Asia. He has also been on the Korea Power Celebrity 40 list for the last five years, with three of those being in the Top 5.

  4. not a surprise lmh has always rank lower in list like this even though is the most popular he rarely made the cut. is either he is rank low or not there at all infact am always suprise about it here in Nigeria if not because of lmh i would never know there is a place called south korea

    • She get her first scandal several years ago when she uploaded her picture in bed (? I think) with Eunhyuk of Super Junior, thats damaging her national little sister image. Recently her newest album is linked to lolita image or sexualize child story. Then she is revealed to dating Jang Ki Ha, whom also have good reputation and is many ideal man before, didn’t bring good image to both of them because of their big age difference. I think thats all.

  5. u cant say kpop has larger crowd than k drama infact kdrama makes kpop to be known globally. i have never heard a kpop song before but have watch kdrama because it global and target larger audience

  6. Imo, the first hallyu wave that crashed my country was Winter Sonata in 2003. After that I got hit by kpop such as tvxq & Big bang in 2006 & 2007. This is just my point of views.. 🙂

  7. @Hmm

    I’m Kpop fan myself and into some groups but it’s oxymoronic claim to say that Kpop is bigger because it’s basically not bigger.

    @Aone said that Dots had 26mio in 24hours but after 48hours it got 60mio views on Iqiyi China portal and will probably hit above 1.5-billion views within frist 3-4 months and lets keep in my mind thats only in China. Imagine if all the other International Portals released there numbers people would be shocked. I’m also small time Yoo Won fan and his drama Yongply got 0.83-Bil views on Youku alone.

    I actully that the numbers that China is getting is also equal to the numbers Dramafever, Viki and MyasianTv gets since they cover the rest of the world basically but they don’t release numbers but if they did people would be in for huge surprise.

    The lastest BB song BANG BANG BANG which is considered one of the biggest hits Kpop songs on Youtube it tookt them 8-months to hit 100-mio while PSY did it on 4-weeks which shows they are not mainstream due to language difficulty. Kpop has reached it’s peaked and it’s not getting bigger if they got this far it should be considered success keeping in my the langauge barrier which is always there and it’s already miracle they overcame that which is only some groups since there is to many nugus

    • This. As Ljs/psh shipper I thought it was oxymoronic that someone even mentioned them in the same breath as Yoona and Siwon. thats what you get when SM call themselves forbes asia and release things. Kris and Luhan tho they are the rising stars of Asia if anyone should be on any legit list it’s them as of current today. it was no surprise that they would get blocked

      • @Arnold Despite all that they still manage to feed out of their past fame. And that is just more than enough.

        @Aone isn’t it tiring to be harping everywhere about this kind of theories. I’m pretty sure there’s no need for media play for an already well peak group like Suju and SNSD. Or should i say past peak but still profitable. It simply doesn’t make any sense not like SM is super investing on them anymore. They have younger groups they need to take care of..

  8. Jesus, people need to calm down. This list varies by exposure in a particular year and so the people who worked last year and were popular made it on this list. What’s all the fuss about.

    • You got my vote. The comments section is just a mess. Can you guys just applaud and stop with the conspiracy theory. It’s getting pretty darn annoying.

  9. Here i am expecting SNSD to fall from the top 10. After all that Jessica mess, they have last more than 7 years in the list among top 10? Never dropped from it. I was like amazed. That’s quite something for an idol group.. they must have really been the darlings in Korea. They have dating news + member leave. While their peers has long drop from the main spotlight with the exclusion of Big Bang.

    Jeon Ji Hyeon is really reaping her post YWFTS madness. She’s still sticking there.

    Hyeri was admittedly a shocker despite the hit that is Answer Me. I don’t see any Answer Me cast jumped so much like she did but then again like Koala said. Aegyo can do you wonders.

    • Yes her Aegyo already make her way even before AM. She already raking in much variety appearence because of it and receiving drama offer left and right even without skill to do it. We can say that from the 5 AM friends, she is the biggest star pre AM, even PBG is still below her. Answer Me just help faulting her into another level.

    • Just want to mention that JJH had a hit movie in 2015, Assassinations, the no. 2 top grossing movie in Korea with more than 12m admissions. This probably contributed to keep her in the top 10.

    • I’m surprised that Hyeri can bring her groupmates up too, its not usual, like how Suzy and Hani is there without their group. But Minah also doing well in her variety and singing career.

      Also AOA is so high in this ranking. I always thought that Seolhyun is the one bringing AOA up. Seems that is not the case here. Maybe their decision to left the band format and going for sexy image is good.

  10. i’m suprised about KDW not being on the ranking given that is jst released movie is smashing the box-office.plus,even hwang jun eum is not here too,even though she had back to back success KMHM nd she was pretty.

    • Maybe because his movie is just released? It hadn’t making impact in his career yet. Unlike AM that eventhough just completed recently but already making a buzz since last year.

  11. Suzy my bae and LMH make it to the list!! happy to see you both on list, Wish you both would be up order. LOL whereas so called Hallyu queen is no where near the list. HAHAHHA their fans needed to land back to earth.

    • shipper detected. you know what you dont have to take your ship into this account. no need to bring down someone who still in complete hiatus just because she wanted to get her degree certificate (even it takes 8 yrs it’s better than those who not even interested in study) and hasn’t done anuthing since 2015: no movie, no drama and of course no music stage comeback like your bae. lmh has gangnam blue while your bae has miss a comeback stage promo as well as her movie with ryu seung ryeong. she’s being listed in forbes list yet 300k ticket admission for overhype promo beforehand and her insane popularity in korea? time to land back to the earth too for you. popularity dont last long. tht so called Hallayu queen dont even regard herself as one instead, she named jun ji hyun as the one and only hallayu queen in interview with ELLE Hong Kong and ELLE Taiwan as well. if you ask me if im one of those who claimed her as hallayu queen i’ll say no. she still has long way to go and much more rooms for improvement

    • But she is the Queen of soo many hearts, that if you know how to read and can watch and understand news around you, you will see crazy thinks that has been done and still doing just to keep Our Queen heart happy. But reading what you wrote, you still leaving in your delule make believe world. Enjoy. By the way, where are you on the list? I guess you stick with your popularity.lol What? The most dumb? Oh lol.

  12. Disclaimer: I’m not saying that you or anyone else in this thread is discounting Hyeri’s popularity and fame to one moment of aegyo (and Answer Me 1988), but it does sadden me to see so many others do that.

    From the way I see it, Hyeri was already getting some recognition as a member of Girl’s Day when they were starting to pick up momentum as an idol girl group with “Nothing Lasts Forever” and “Twinkle Twinkle.” Her name also got more exposure when she was revealed to be Tony Ahn’s [now ex-]girlfriend. In Girl’s Day, the “sexy” and “provocative” concepts in performances such as “Expectation” and “Something.” Given these circumstances, Hyeri was already starting to become somewhat “famous” (loosely speaking, in South Korea as well as among international K-pop fans), although much of that attention was negative.

    Although many attribute the turning point of success for Hyeri to be her aegyo in Running Man, she was already getting a significant amount of praise and recognition prior to that one instance. Throughout the special, many views and netizens praised Hyeri for her hardworking, cheerful attitude and mukbang. The fact that her “aegyo” at the end of the special (which interviews later reveal to be unintentionally done) was most likely largely due to the cumulation of the positive image she was building up from the beginning of the show.

    However, Hyeri still got tons of hate for when she was casted for Answer Me 1988. Granted, she arguably did not have the best track record (e.g. Hyde, Jekyll, and Me), though some netizens argued that she was promising or at least serviceable in Seonam High Detectives. What was most unfortunate (in retrospect) was the amount of hate and contempt she received for being cast on the show at all. Many predicted that the show would fail because of her (it did not, and she turned out to be one of the standouts, imo…if not for the husband-hunting game that threw her character onto the backburner for a while). Many also claimed that she only got the role because of her aegyo fame. However, the producers later revealed that the role was written based on her variety persona and that they initially wanted Hyeri for the role anyway prior to before her aegyo went viral. But, the producers added that they ended up hesitating on giving Hyeri the role because they thought she became too famous for it. Hyeri unknowingly auditioned for the role, and the producers decided that she was the perfect person for the role after all. Still, Hyeri got a lot of hate for accepting a role that she auditioned for and earned.

    When Answer Me 1988 finally aired, the tides began to turn. The viewers finally began to recognize Hyeri as Sung Deok Seon. However, some still refused to acknowledge Hyeri as a legitimate actress, citing her success as the skills of the producers in turning anyone into a star. Given the past successes of the Answer Me producers, this claim may have some legitimacy. Nonetheless, I don’t believe that Hyeri’s own efforts and talent should be discounted. Yes, the role was initially based off of her. Yes, the producers are skilled. However, Hyeri managed to tap into her own talent and delievered a solid performance for an actress. Yes, she may be seen as a weaker link in the cast amongst other veterans, but let’s not forget that they’re /veterans/ and that Hyeri’s performance was still very solid. Her hard work and dedication to her work as an actress can be seen in her interviews (e.g. her clear understanding in her character and motivations), her fellow castmembers’ and staffs’ reviews, and ultimately her portrayal of Sung Deok Seon.

    To be honest, I’ve been following Hyeri and Girl’s Day dispassionately for a long time, but it wasn’t until Hyeri’s Sung Deok Seon making me tear up from being so moved in episode 2 of Answer Me 1988 (the interview scene and especially the birthday cake blow up scene) that I became a fan of her acting and hard work. Nonetheless, I recognize that her success isn’t merely due to aegyo or landing a role in the Answer Me franchise. Yes, those things have a lot to do with her current fame. Luck too. But ultimately, Hyeri earned her spot as a trending girl as the cumulation of her hard work and attitude, preservation, and talent. I’m just glad Running Man, Answer Me, and luck gave her an opportunity to showcase to the world.

      • Thats why I’m wondering when did Hyeri got famous because aegyo in RM. But even before Real Men she is already pretty famous as a cute maknae isn’t she? Or is it Minah that is more popular before Real Men? And I think instead of increasing her popularity, when she revealed to be dating Tony her popularity dampened a bit.

      • In terms of recognition and exposure, dating Tony Ahn did increase her visibility and relativity in K-entertainment. In terms of positive popularity, the relationship did dampen her image because rumors started spreading that he was her sponsor (unconfirmed and largely unsubstantiated). Still, she did become more popular on shows because people wanted to know more about the relationship and girlfriend of famed H.O.T’s Tony Ahn.

        Prior to the public finding out about the relationship, however, Hyeri was known as being one of the visuals of Girl’s Day (though nowhere as well known as some of her fellow members, e.g. the other member with the insured legs). Ultimately though, Minah was the most well known member of the group initially because of her variety persona, hard work, and vocal talent.

        Real Men was one arguably one of the main turning points for Hyeri in terms of positive popularity. Yes, her aegyo shot her to national/viral fame, but I would not discount the positive image she was already building up prior to that one moment of unintentional aegyo. She was already becoming more relevant (relatively speaking) as a member of Girl’s Day and Tony Ahn’s girlfriend, but her hard work, cheerful and tomboyish personality, physical prowess for her small size, and mukbang were already setting the stage for her rise in positive popularity.

  13. asleast,the so called “hallyu queen” has a sense of humour to finish her education instead of allowing her popularity get to her head.unlike someone who decided not to go to school becos she’s dull,and also riding on her boyfriend’s popularity.lol

  14. no doubt seolhyun is the most popular member in AOA(if not d most popular idol currently)but so are Choa and jimi too.Choa is doing well in the variety dept,plus her collaboration did got an all kill too.jimi has been doing well ever since she appeared in SMTM.and mina too is currently catching up to them(well slowly)

    • ooops you missed a big point there. she’s big enough compared to her peers in terms of popularity. with tht kind of popularity not many still interested to finish their study eg lmh, ksh, even suzy not interested in study. i asked you have you seen other actress who has reached her no of followers in her official weibo and ig??? the degree thing came up because that is the reason she took the whole year of 2015 off unlike others who have works in 2015. it’ll be more weird if she’s in the list despite having no project last year. as her fan im not bitter at all that she’s not in the list because she already got what she want all these 8 yeas; a degree certificate. proud of her for living a really normal life and not care about fame all the time. if she’s that type she’ll alaways strike iron while it’s hot but no, she took time off to study despite her popularity peaked during/after pinocchio time. in korea yes suzy is the nation sweetheart but internationally i dont know

  15. BIGBANG, wow BIGBANG. without drama/film appearance, and only got the money from MUSIC, they put their names there!!!! wow… they didnt have many cfs and rarely in talk shows/variety shows but look at them… daebak. really really a king!

    exo, they are everywhere with huge fanbase. their fans are so rich to buy their oppas’ albums. and every member of exo has their own activities, musical, drama, movies… cfs etc.. no wonder.

    actors… YAI, 2015 was his!!!

  16. nice to know that BIGBANG maintains their status despite the lacking in activities! i love the group.

    sad that Lee Jong Suk did not make it to the list because as far as i know he is a popular in Korea as in other parts of the world. maybe not as popular as this people tho. 🙁

  17. I think it’s funny that people still want Park Shin Ye and Lee Jong Suk to reign, they did good but not as big as others.
    Lots of people knew Siwon and yoona better than PSH and LJS, Kpop has bigger exposure than KDrama,

  18. I still don’t know the reason why people think Suzy is more famous internationally than shin hye,she is only famous than her in Korea but not intern a nation all,not a fan of both but I know the fact,and suzy fan,you are already tarnishing your fandom image cause I noticed that you always try to bring shin hye down,I don’t knw the reason though but it is better u put a stop to it

  19. I really felt that Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye are more deserving than Siwon and Yoona in that Forbes 30 under 30. I mean they are popular but as a group, as Super Junior and SNSD. I agree, SJ and SNSD are more popular than LMH and PSH but as individuals, LMH and PSH are more popular than Siwon and Yoona. GD as individual is a wall tho. Forbes Asia should not hired that SM CEO to be a judge bcoz its too bias. I really felt sorry for LMH and PSH (for me they are the King and Queen of Hallyu), their contribution to the hallyu wave should be recognized. I’m ok if its SNSD or SJ on the list but its Siwon and Yoona. Kim Soo Hyun is a wall. I think he’s the most popular celebrity in Korea. I’m not surprised with LMH’s low rank in Forbes 40. He’s low rank ever since even BOF/City Hunter/The Heirs popularity days.

    • I agree about lee min ho he should not be low rank, being following his work since debut he is ultimate king proud to be Minoz but about shine hye, she have long way to go although she is on right track, she need to improve her work individually and remove the tag of working with famous guys.

      • Shin Hye is the famous one, and she makes the costars shinnig even more. You need to do your homework better. Did you ever under why her costars do everything they can ,besides for loving her, to make fans believe they very close to her? To increase they international fan base, because Shin Hye is the only Korean actress well known and loved internationally, and i mean,in all conner of the world, from Asia to Europe, Africa, Middle East and more. She is know not because of scandals, but for her work, as an actress and philanthropist. She knows, brain is a powerful think to waste, she keeps using it to learn everyday to do better, challenge herself, and to meet with changes, evolution, and demand of her profession. She start as a child, in a very competitive and f.up environment, she has climbing herself up, sticking to her principles of a good Christian, citizen and human being.All these are jewels that is rare to find in today f. Up business of entertainment. Shin Hye is unic in her graft. Shin Hye is genuine, honest,humble,caring,intelligent,smart,powerful,respectful,generous,kind,confident,trustworthy, trustable, beautiful, feminine,pretty,classy, fun, hot and sexy woman. Her aura is undeniably strong and surround by positive energy. As she said on a award speech, SHE OWNS HER HONOR TO GOD, so as much you try you can bring her down. Shin Hye is a WARRIOR.

        For the ones that do not know, this List is based on information provided by the subjects of interest voluntarily and some public information available, means Forbes makes an open invitation, and however wants to be on the list will send information and authorized to be ranked and publish, after information confirmed to be genuine. Of course donations to…….counts alot.Forbes list is free.

      • Lol. How pathetic r u to make Forbes list trash just ’cause your bias is not included. Just don’t pretend you are an expert to judge this list like all the celebrities here don’t worth it. This has so many criterias considered in the process though u don’t know cause all u know is about ur shinhye.

  20. To Suzy fan- is it true that Suzy CFS is currently 7 because I still won’t believe that,even though we all know she her CFS are mainly from Korea,she only have lenovo as her international endoersement right
    To shin bye fan- is the so called hallyu queen CFS 17,because I think she is too young to be called an hallyu queen,and only 5 of it is mainly from korea,so many international CFS though
    To koala-you are incredibly bias and sometimes fo*li*h
    There is this fact that some people don’t know SHInHYE is more bigger internationally than Suzy,and I know that girl don’t become famous by acting with these ugly famous oppa except jang geun suk which is handsome and those crying minoz ‘the heirs that your oppa act with her is the 1 that increase your oppa popularity,and I don’t think I have ever heard of Lee jonk suk name in my country here until Pinocchio,and Pinocchio also increase jonk suk popularity just lyk how you are beautiful increase jang keun suk popularity, you guy should be grateful that she acts with your oppa
    And to all those who always thinks she looks chubbier, I saw her in real life in honkong last december and I was dumfounded cause she is very lean and more pretty than the one I usually saw on tv.
    I am more excited that bigbang is on the list though,they are indestructible, king and girl generation Queen

    • Haha!!!Omg, so stupid crap. Seems to be a butthurt psh fan playing hard to show how great her bias is. Really feel sorry for you. Lmh was popular since bof and it was enhanced by CH. When it comes to Heirs he was already popular and so many watched it for him. He don’t need your shinhye at all to gain fandom. And if it’s so the credit will go to GHS and PMY. It’s more like psh became famous by her costars. Her influence in lmh’s popularity is zero. You just go and do some research plz without displaying your stupidity. And lmh is the most popular celebrity ever internationally and possess a fanbase your shinhye even can’t come close. Go and check their SNS. Lmh is 16th the most liked actor in FB in whole world. How ignorant are you? Even psh don’t desrve a stupid fan like you ’cause your idiotic cmnts make others to feel sorry for her.

  21. Those who are saying psh is internationally famous if yes that is all cuz of her male leads tell me one drama she did with non famous guy and got international hit. she worked with sukkie, young hwa,LMH and with jung suk they all have international fame before even working with psh, it was she who got exposure because them despite her average acting, her career international fame build on her lead guys fame. whereas there are also other actress in korea who are also humble, good looking , pretty blah blah all attributes someone mention have, the only reason they might not that much famous because they are not lucky enough like psh to get work with already famous guys. I will consider her good actress the day she play role with not so famous guy prove it by rating and awards or rest she can continue building her career with help of her lead guys. LMH was and is already hallyu star he never ever need psh to gain fandom..

    • I would say only LMH is known internationally, the others maybe in Asia and a few countries in Latin America, but before LMH became known internationally, Shin Hye was already known all over the world. Do your research, and you will know.

      • I Am nigerian. And i can say psh only became popular in africa because of the heirs. And the only reason peopLe in africa watched the heirs was because of lmh. Hes the most popular kdrama actor in africa. If not the only. Bof, city hunters, faith and personal taste were all huge before anyone in my country knew of psh existence. Lmh is the king of kdrama. He brought kdrama on the maP and practically created a path for it In non asian countries. Without him no one wouLd be watching kdramas.

      • Omg I can’t stop laughing seeing ur comment.”Psh known all over the world before lmh”???Are you from another planet or something? And I think you are the one who should research first. Lmh is a big name that ur shinhye can’t come close, even haters know that. I really feel sorry for psh fans like u who act so blindly thinking she is the greatest ’cause she is ur favourite. Bof is a global hit which made a revolution in kdrama history. World became aware of kdrama after bof. So did lmh. And after CH it doubled. He was already popular when it comes to heirs. But psh was known more after that show basically. So how can she become globally popular before lmh? Dramafever in america claimed that lmh is the most trending one and all of his dramas are there in most watched kdramas of all time in it. So plz be logical and go and learn some more about it without blabbering to surport ur princess.
        And lmh has a wax figure in Madam Thussads which only greatest and most famous ones get the honour to have one. Even the MT staff do a research everytime before they make such statue. So then his popularity is no joke and can’t even compare with ur shinhye. Get a life plz. Lol

  22. Why is she the only one who got famous by acting with those people whom you said are famous!whereas other actress who work with these people do not get quarter of her popularity,city hunter and boys over flower is really famous then,but where is park min young and GU hye sun,doctor stranger too(don’t even know the name of the lead actress)where is the girl and moon geun young,where is her now?because I know iu and yoona are famous before geun sum act with them

    I know those guys are famous before but after they act with her,they become famous internationally and stop whinning that she become famous after acting with Lee min ho cause we all know how the heirs tarnish her image…

    • i respect that u love ur idol shin hye but kindly respect other fandom feeling as well i am Ku hye sun fan and i have nothing against shin hye. It hurt me to see u r putting ku down by mentioning her this way. peace

    • OMG really psh fans are sumthing to prove your woman good and woeokejjekk don;t bring park min young down get that. Do not ever use psh name with minyoung, pmy is not like psh type of person who use and make friends with only boys with whom she (psh) get fame and benefit her career, such a easy going girl all who are saying is not lying she made her career with help of her lead guys pmy never use guy to build her career and she is so famous her recent drama get more rating than your psh last drama so keep your mouth shut and do not bring pmy name with psh….

    • Though I’m not an antifan of psh I can’t stand those shinhye fans looking down on other top celebrities to show how great she is. Why the hell bring psh here when she isn’t in the list. Lol, how can her costars become internationally famous after acting with her when they are already so huge overseas. No one has impact on anyone’s carrier other than they individually shined themselves. But psh was a child actress and why then she became so popular after u r beautiful? And never dare to compare her with lmh. Even kdrama haters knows lmh but some stupid psh fans don’t know how huge his fandom is.
      And psh always got the cute, innocent, poor girl characters to act and limited to a boundary. Her acting is so avarage. And you still boast how she made her costars so popular. Poor you.

    • And tell me a one show of her which became popular grandly with a not so famous lead actor? And what u should know her costars like jgs and lmh was already extremely popular. And psh fans think lmh got popular in china cause of their incredible shinhye, haha her was soo popular after CH and was even on the list of most influential people in china(No. 6 ) and he was the only korean celebrity in top 10. How can ur shinhye made him popular. Poor and miserable fans. I don’t hate psh of course she is popular and probably the most popular female celebrity but she didn’t made her costars famous. That’s why you all have only jgs, lmh & ljs in the scene then what about other costars in her previous shows as she was a child actress. Do some research.

    • Really? Then why you only have jgs ,lmh & ljs? What about other costars whom she acted with before? And what happened to that shows???
      Ha ghs and pmy didn’t get trending stars consecutively to act with unlike ur bias. So don’t dare compare them with psh.And they didn’t have any star studded casts for their projects( like heirs). But they somehow brought everything up by improving acting themselves. It’s so embarrasing how psh fans daydream that their idol did everything and have super powers to make others shine. Lol.
      And when it comes to Yoona they have nothing to say to defend their princess so claim she was popular before casting with jgs. Haha soo stupid and you had enough brain to comprehend that. So that goes same with lmh and jgs. They were already popular ,ur shinhye did nothing for their success stupid. And even talking about international success. Lmh got it from CH. And everyone kept so much hope for heirs just ’cause of him. How can ur shinhye made him famous when he was alredy soo popular overseas. Plz get mature without blabbering and being blinded with love for ur presious bias. Lol.

  23. I don’t care whether my baby made the list or not,she is on complete hiatus for last year and I don’t give a sh*t about Forbes celebrity
    @lovely dija;her CFS is currently 17 but is not 5 from Korea,here is a list of CFS in this year and the country.
    Mamode-korea,China and Thailand
    Ryo-china
    Hstyle-china
    Tongyi juice-china
    Millet-korea
    Roem-korea and China
    Viki-korea
    Mindbrige-Japan and China
    Lotte duty free-Asia
    Lotte department store-Asia
    Visa-Asia
    Kumkang shoes-korea
    Brunomagli-korea
    Alton sports-korea
    Median-korea
    Agatha paris-korea and Taiwan
    Rapido-China
    To all haters,hate or not she will keep on moving with her life and Suzy fan,stop tagging my baby as Suzy enemy because she will never have an enemy,love u so much shinhye baby

  24. why so arrogant shin hye fans? admit it or not, shin hye gained alot of fans through those her famous leading man bcoz of those damn shippers. Alot of Lee Min Ho, Lee Jong Suk, Jang Keun Suk ang Jung Yong Hwa hardcore fans bcame her fans bcoz they want PSH for their oppas. Of course they gained fans through PSH too but just a little not like her. Imagine, LMH fans + LJS fans + JGS fans + JYH fans = thats alot lol! 😀 I remember, I saw her fan commented “Shippers are ok with me as long as Shin Hye gain fans” lol. I saw a PSH interview b4 Heirs, she was asked about her team up with LMH and she said, “Lee Min Ho is so popular in China and I’m curious what will happened”. See, even PSH was aware how popular LMH was. If her co-stars shined even more bcoz of her, Yoon Shi Yoon should be in the same level now as LMH and LJS lol. And please, Heirs tarnished LMH’s image too not just her. LMH gained alot of haters bcoz of that damn drama lol! And shes not in hiatus in 2015 lol! Pinocchio ended january 2015, she did alot of CFs, magazine covers and even guested on variety shows which are included in the criteria to be part of that Forbes 40. With that 15 CFs PSH did as what u have said, I think she should be part of that list. Or maybe, her CF fees are not that big lol.

  25. You guys are making a lot of mistake
    *kdrama have a larger consumer than kpop
    *but kpop have a more larger stable fandom than kdrama
    As a kpop fan myself I know Suzy is not really popular internationally than SHInHYE like her fans thought
    And this Forbes of a thing is only based in Korea exposure,from last year march to this year February and Pinocchio already put jonksuk and shinhye in last year list,where is kim woo bin and hwang jeung eum?
    Also I think I know what shinhye fan are trying to proof here,they were basically to make you guys know that she become famous with her own lucky cos other celebrities who work with these famous oppa do not make it internationally
    Thanks to@leah on for making it known that those shinhye shippers are mainly from the male side,maybe that will make Suzy fan to stop tarnishing her fandom image a little bit
    So excited that my exo is still no.1,girls generation, bigbang,aoa,and shinee,you slay guys
    Also we can’t determine their income by Forbes cause I know Korea are more into idol income than actress
    Only jun ji hyun is the only actress on the list though,she really shine in 2015 with assassination

  26. Oh Suzy drops lower again,even though her movie is a flop,there was a lot of promotion for the movie,it is still unbelievable that park no young movie beats Suzy movie in the box office even though both can still be regard to as flop,cause not so much profit
    Is there any female idol that can beat shinhye internationally,not only in Asia I mean including Africa and middle east cause jun ji hyun can’t beat her there too
    Also I know that she become famous through Lee min ho cause her popularity was not up to that point until she filmed heirs,but jonk suk became famous through her and her fandom is still more bigger than jonk suk and keun suk though
    It will be weird to see shinhye,Lee jonk suk and kim woo bin on the list though and everyone listed there all av a project which starts last year and ended last year,so no grudge and you guys should stop fighting,being on the Forbes list do not do them any good and Lee min ho was no where on last year list but make it to 31 this year.
    Congratulations to you guys most especially to exo,the prince of kpop and bigbang,the king of kpop

    • Even though lmh didn’t made it last year here he was included throughout several years unlike psh. He wasn’t in years of 2012 and 2015 only.

  27. Oh so shinhye was the one modelling for roem in Korea finally,so that is why Suzy fan and shinhye fan are fighting that day on roem official instagram lol;the comments are funny though and I can’t stop laughing cause it seems Suzy fan are fighting shinhye fan over lmh than for the cf which I thought is more funnier cause their bias is the guy girlfriend
    Hope I can see more of those fanwars later because I love fanwar

  28. I guess one of main reason psh got so much hate because of her shippers. Let the girl breath specially her ship minshin they are way too much seriously they are ruining psh image by shipping her with guy who have gf. It really degrade psh dignity. ITs true psh gain so much from shipping her fan following increase because of shipping with famous guys and some one said she is lucky its true she is lucky to work back to back with famous guys to gain exposure because her acting alone cant make her reach this much fame. PS i am not suzy fan so kindly dont label me with her fans errr

  29. sorry for that comment about shin hye, the truth is I like her. Im just annoyed with that SH fan and I’m just teasing her. I dont believe that forbes 40 reflects the real popularity of a celebrity. thats all, tnx

  30. Highlights of the war between shinhye and Suzy fan
    *during dating rumours
    -Suzy fans;wow,Suzy is dating min ho,Suzy wins
    -shinhye fans;thank God, one of those ship creating haters for shinhye is gone
    -Lee min ho fans;oppa dissapoint us
    -netizens;Suzy is a whore,how can she spend 3nights with a man she just start going out with in less than a month
    After rumours
    -Suzy fan;the minshin is the largest shipper of min ho so therefore Shinhye fans are the 1 calling Suzy whore during the dating rumour, let’s start to attack their fandom with the fact that they know the minshin shippers are mainly minoz,we can’t attack our bias boyfriend fandom,so let’s attack shinhye fandom
    Shinhye fan-oh Suzy fan are anti-shinhye now
    Netizens-suzy is Lee min ho woman,shinhye fan sud stop putting her down without knowing that Suzy fan always drag shinhye into their discussion
    Lee min ho fan-oh for God sake,leave lee min ho alone
    Just thinking about this drama always make me laugh,the comments section always make my day.
    @richiee do u want to be friend,I love fanwars too

    • Please, don’t encourage people to start the war( fans war), in real world too many wars now and a lot of people suffering because they greedy government, it’s better we help each other for those people such as syria now.let’s peace each other.
      One thing you right, as minshin shipper is a lot of minoz joint that ship and they like psh n become her fans, and this is a fact, last lmh fan meeting, minoz screaming psh name n lmh giggling n happy n a lot of lmh fotographer take psh picture in her occasion. N I know for sure psh fandom don’t really care about lmh relationships, even in minshin soompi forums they still like them n support them as individually, as for me. I don’t care his personal life, I Just care his work.

  31. As LMH said : PSH is her own boss, and she famous because of her own not because her co stars, she gain fans from her co stars after they searching her n find out who’s she n her personality( like me as LMH fans). I’m searching about her after watching the heirs, n I become her fans, she’s very good with co stars( still keeping touch with them, good personality, she finish her school even that time her peak, n a lot of her co stars or people around her praise her ( NApd, choi ji woo, kim sung ryung said: as her own word, psh pretty right but her heart more pretty) , even her co stars mom want her to be her daughter in law.
    And for sz fans, leave psh alone!!
    For pmy n ghs fans, I’m apologize for comments about them, maybe she try to approve psh famous not because of lmh and for lmh fans as minoz please be carefully to use word n don’t bring down lmh co stars.

    • No hard feeling against shin hye and i know most of her fans are peace loving but i hope those of few who while proving their love for psh do not bring other people in comments who have nothing do to with topic peace…

  32. suzy and lmh were not alone in london, lmh’s mom and manager were there too. they were in a foreign country and every foreigner stayed in hotel ( where do u want them to stay, at the street?) Those are just malicious comments of some knets (not representing the whole korea) and they’re not the only one who experienced it. Even hani and other celebrities in a public relationship got malicious comments too. “Everything we hear is opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is perspective, not the truth.” #just saying

  33. I apologise to suzy fan,hye sun fan and min young fan whose some starlight Angel words must have hurt them,I am really sorry!!!!
    And also lee min ho,jang geun suk and jonk suk fan,what I know that all those who are famous are destined to be famous,so no-one have impact on another person popularity.
    Also I know those people who call themselves Suzy fan that are tarnishing our fandom are not really Suzy fan,bcos real Suzy fan won’t create hate for her!!!and those people who said they love fanwars,sueeties and starlight Angel will be disappointing you cos we will avoid anything that will cause war between us.I hope Suzy fan will cooperate with us cos starlight Angel are more peaceful than u guys think.
    Also thank God someone already states that shinhye fans are not the one who called Suzy wh*re cos we believe she is not,let peace reigns guys and please don’t hate shinhye,she is more loveable than u guys thought,love u all as much as you love shinhye,I love her hters too cause they make her see what she needs to correct in her career

  34. Park Shin Hye is famous not only because her acting,singing ,dancing, cooking, good daughter to her parents, good and reliable friend, a person easy to get along with, as all people that had come across her recognized, even though she is a celebrity, she still humble and down to earth. She is well loved around the world, because she is always trying her best to make the world a better place for all, by helping the less fortunate ones, and pushing others to do the same. She is full of love and kindness reason why everybody fall for her. SHIN HYE got her first acting award when she was a child, she has being famous since she start in the entertainment business with ups and downs. She works hard for it. She deserves to be respected, so please do not try to tornish her image. I understand certain fans feelings, but let’s note judge.

    To Koala. When will you publish an article about celebrities and their social contributions? It can be a drama too. PEACE

  35. I don’t care about about all the other names on the list. What I know is that Yoo Ah In is on #2! It’s all because Six Flying Dragons is TOTALLY SLAYING! MUST WATCH! The BEST SAGEUK ever.

  36. I don’t understand why psh fans act so blindly. They even don’t know her popularity level in korea and thinks she is like an almighty goddess that needs to be in each & every list. And why put others down to support her. This make shinhye fans so miserable only. She being your bias didn’t mean she is the best. Of course she is popular overseas than any other female celebrity but in korea she is not THAT famous.This is just another list and there are so many popular and talented celebrities not mentioned here. So don’t start fan wars and make a fuss. That is not good for your bias.

  37. What a mess? Why bring up ur biases and rebel for not including them here. Why can’t u all just be happy about others who made it here. That’s because some people are blinded with love for their bias and that’s not ordinary love but obsession. If you really adore a celebrity u will know his/her everything so that u don’t want to look down on others saying ur idol is the best. Ones who are addicted don’t know their flaws and things other than good. If it is so u don’t get furious for ur star isn’t included here. And that’s why some endup saying this forbe’s power 40 is always trash. It consider several criterias to be here. So it doesn’t mean ones who can’t make it here is not popular. Don’t make it a big deal. Peace.

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