I don’t cover the monthly Korean Advertising Agency rankings for top CF stars in Korea since it mostly stays the same from month to month. But the end of 2014 is right around the corner and a quick glance at the October rankings shows who’s been the most popular Korean stars for 2014 as the list has stayed more or less the same this year. Some are perennial favorites like Jeon Ji Hyun, Yoo Jae Suk, and Kim Tae Hee on the list in different spots year after year since forever. The non-news is seeing figure skating champion Kim Yuna regained her top seat after Jeon Ji Hyun resided there for six months post You From Another Star.
Despite the industry being so male-dominated, the top three CF stars of this year, in varying orders, have been all ladies: the most decorated figure skater in Korean history Queen Yuna, A-list movie star Jeon Ji Hyun, and super young idol-actress Suzy. I like that the ladies own the CF love, at least it’s an area they don’t need to immediately get overshadowed by the men. After Suzy is the first guy on the list and it’s adorable that Lee Seung Gi keeps on being the Nation’s favorite son-in-law (i.e. the guy all ahjummas wish their daughter could marry). Rounding out the top five is Ryu Seung Ryong riding the double high of Miracle in Cell No.7 and The Admiral: Roaring Currents.
The top 10 Korean CF stars for October 2014, but the list has stayed more or less the same all year with the exception of Jo In Sung being a recent addition due to the popularity of this past summer’s drama It’s Okay, It’s Love. I’m most impressed that Kim Tae Hee is still in the top 10 (year after year, baby, that’s what I call longevity) even despite Korean netizens cluck cluck disapproval of a Seoul National grad dating beefcake Rain. It’s like the Korean public can’t help but eat up her smart toothy visage whatever she’s selling (or shacking up with).
1. Kim Yuna
2. Jeon Ji Hyun
3. Suzy
4. Lee Seung Gi
5. Ryu Seung Ryong
6. Kim Soo Hyun
7. Hyun Bin
8. Yoo Jae Suk
9. Jo In Sung
10. Kim Tae Hee
I personally like Suzy, despite finding her a terrible actress, because she has this fresh-faced wholesome appeal that comes across as natural rather than artificially constructed. With that said, I do not get why she is this popular in CFs to be always in the top three for the last two years running. It’s not like her girl idol group is all that popular as well. Whatever the reason, she’s still riding high on the Nation’s little sister train.
Kim Soo Hyun can expect to park himself in the top 10 for the foreseeable future if he does at least one good drama and/or movie a year, kinda like the Hyun Bin effect which also shows no sign of waning. Won Bin appears to have finally dropped off the top 10 and much as I like him it’s ridiculous that he could rake in that much CF dough year after year while only doing one movie every few years and acting like he doesn’t even give a f*ck about his day job (i.e. acting).
Suzy is the perfect example of when good looks, luck and hard work pay off even when no talent is involved. There are countless others who are better than her at singing, dancing, acting yet she somehow surpassed them all at least in terms of CFs. Now it’s just a matter of how long that will last.
She has a talent in my imo..There might be better singers and dancers compared to her but the girl has talents for sure and as for acting i considered it as skill,this is something you acquired through experiences.Even some of today’s talented veteran actors and actresses are started as terrible actors/actresses too..I think the problem with Suzy is that despite at very young age she’s taking leads in both dramas and movies, being so popular that it made her super busy that she cannot focus on improving herself in these areas.She’s still young and there is still a lot of time for improvement..
No talent? Really? Suzy is more talented than the average idol imo. I think her acting is pretty bad, but she can sing and dance well. Yes, there are others in the industry that are more talented than her, but to be a successful idol I think it’s more valuable to be well rounded performer (along with good looks obviously) like her.
I do agree that her success is largely down to her looks/persona, but to say she’s completely devoid of talent is too harsh imo. She’s been the it girl for 3 years already, I don’t see her reign letting up any time soon.
Her whole reign as It Girl is proof that in Korea, image and good looks can trump a total absence of talent. And that as long as you are pretty, you really don’t have to be good at a thing in order to do it, your fans will just make excuses about youth and lack of experience (kind of ringing hollow these days, with increasing numbers of ’93-’95ers being equally young and inexperienced as her and still managing to not suck).
Korea is not the only place where good looks and image takes precedence over talent. It happens everywhere in societies all over the world, as long as the mass media and advertisers pander to audiences’ desire to see a pretty face onscreen.
But on the other hand, I consider having the ability to be liked by audiences a talent also.
High five Ockoala, same here never respect artificial plastic one.
Questionable list? “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.” – Joseph Stalin
But it’s based on CFs number, the pay of it and the raises the model brought to the product. So, yea!! It has nothing questionnable to it.
Jun ji hyun still at top 2 even after her scandal? what a star power she has.
What scandal?
The water scandal cf where she and ksh endorse in china many koreans hate her because of that. that is why im surprise that she managed to stay on top 2 even after that.
What scandal she had? #asking
No lee min ho?im surprise
he’s never been there if i’m not wrong..
I think he was years ago during BoF, but not for that long. He actually seems much more popular overseas than in Korean, even after Heirs. He’s never really reached the CF levels of some of his peers, though I guess he makes enough bank other places to make up for that.
It’s very doubius list and btw it’s only inside korea not internationally or over all.
The over-all list would be KSH. 1 and LMH 2? for sure
Park shin hye definitely belongs in there as well. IS there any evidence on this list?
But i’m kinda surprised that LMH is not loved in Korea actully. as his loved outside of the country.
this is cf prefferance ranking . not which oppa is poppular list. and done monthly by the official guys back at the advertizing feild .
It’s who has more CFs, who says CF says image, that’s way the above list is elligible.Besides, the top 10 are the most beloved and popular in SK.
@Junior
Either post as @Joey001 or don’t. I don’t allow one author to post under different user names to troll. We know you love LMH, KSH, and PSH but it’s becoming a hindrance to discussion for you to write things that have zero basis other than what you personally believe and then use selective data to support. You can like them and believe they are the most popular Korean stars OF ALL TIME for all anyone cares. But that doesn’t make it actually TRUE.
This is not an Anti-vaxxer type of forum.
Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye are not that love by korea as compared to others..
Dubious? lol. This is an official list taken monthly that shows likability in different fields and shows the popularity of these people with the general public, not just with fandom. These are the people the public likes and trusts enough that advertiser use to sell products. You will see some trends on there, but usually it’s mostly established stars who remain on the list.
Lee min ho is MORE POPULAR overseas..
But THIS LIST ARE THE MOST LOVED CFs kings and queens in SOUTH KOREA…so yeah. lee min ho is not included in this list… He makes money OVERSEAS but not CFs in SK..
I had to chuckle when you described Rain as “beefcake.”
And damn it, Won Bin, when are you going to pick a new project so that I can see your sexy self again? It’s been over four years already!
My Lee Seung Gi, the first man on the list, living to his um-chin-ah image. I’m so proud of him 🙂 he’s loved by everyone so it’s nothing new.
But I’m waiting for drama response, what’s taking them this long?
The ranking is released by the Advertising Information Center of the Korea Advertisers Association, the official Korean advertising PR arm. The report is released every month and is the official and most influential report that brands look at to gauge CF power. The calculation is a combination of number of CFs, how much the CF pays, how broadly the CF is distributed (local v. national), etc.
I don`t understand these rankings? What are they based on?
Why are people like Lee Min Ho,Park Shin Hye,Kim Woo Bin,SNSD members Big Bang members etc not on this list? Cause i see their commercials everywhere even in places like China and Japan. And why is Kim Soo Hyu so low, didn`t he film over 30 CFs or something?
Kinda confused.
Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye are not well love in korea compared to others..Park Shin Hye?She’s only popular outside korea,her popularity right now in korea is attributed only by her popularity outside and being paired up with most popular actor every year..
err no, she isn’t as big as the others in the list but to say she isn’t loved in Korea is wrong? Have you been to Korea or Seoul? You can see her popularity if you were
@right where in my comment that I said she is not love in korea?Can you pls pinpoint it?As far as I know I only said that *she is not that well love in korea as compared to others*..
Actually at this point in time, KSH’s ranking is quite reasonable and in fact he’s doing very well to be placed above Hyun Bin and Yoo JaeSuk, the nation’s top variety host. The popularity of the top 5 are undeniable, Kim Yuna being the nation’s icon & heroine, Jun JH whose star continues to shine thanks to the success of her latest movies & drama, Suzy and SeungGi, Korean’s IT girl & boy and Ryu SeungRyong’s whose movies over the last few years were both awesome & immensely successful at the bx office.
yeah! reports says that he filmed a total of 35 CFs in the first part of this year alone.how can someone film a total of 35cfs alone in half a year?then he most be the only celebrity in that country.plus”there was an aticle about cfs stars 2014,and JJH,KSH,LMH and PSH were at d top.
What’s the big deal about CFs? A commercial is just a commercial, and I usually hit the mute button on the RC and/or the X on the iPad. I didn’t realize people were such devotees of something I consider a nuisance.
CFs are where the chash is!!! I wouldn’t say it’s ‘not important’ since Won Bin hadn’t have a project for years and just recently went down from CF top 10, which explains that CF=image=money.
In SK, one Cf can pay more than a drama!
@ Ockoala
ahhahha.. stop bullying me..
btw I posted a realistic evidence why this list is false and far from being correct.
1. Provide list of these actors/actresses on top contracts with companies or just a list of there total cf list
2. yoona who is on number 1. has less then 15 contracts with different companies which is more then 55% less then KSH in terms of CF..
all in all the entire list is not correct at all
Where on earth yoona in the list??
Which Yoona are you referring to? You do know that the Yuna who is no. 1 on the list is not the Yoona from Girls’ Generation, right?
how is she bullying you in any shape or form?
and you failed to post any evidence, especially realistic, to back up your claims.
this list is not made my entertainment companies or fans voting for their beloved oppas and unnies, this is the the most legitimate source for anything commercial/advertising industry as the information comes from them.
so really, stop being butthurt over the fact that your favorite is not on the list and move on.
Impartial 3rd party person here.
@joey100 or whatever your preferred name is,
I don’t think Mrs. K was “bullying” you, she was reprimanding you. This IS Mrs. K’s blog so she’s well within her rights to call you out for posting under 2 different aliases. Her house, her rules.
Now, using more than 1 internet handle isn’t a crime but you did call the list in this post dubious and, by extension, you indirectly called the author of the post dubious. You see why that might offend Mrs. K? She already said that the list is legit as it came from the KAA, which, I gather is the national organizing and ruling body of Korean advertising companies.
If the list does turn out to be inaccurate, then that would be the mistake of the KAA. They made the rankings. All Mrs. K did was share the list. And don’t forget that this ranking refers solely to KOREAN CFs. International popularity doesn’t always reflect popularity at home. That might be why you think this list is incorrect. Because you’re thinking hallyu power and the names you mentioned certainly have lots of that.
As for your claims that Yoona only did <15 CFs… If that's true, it's still possible for her to be #1 on the rankings even with fewer CFs. You have to take into account the ranking mechanism the KAA uses. After all 10 national CFs with megabucks payment CAN trump 30 non-national/mixed CFs with regular to megabucks payment.
Just think about it.
@quirkstine Are you talking about total 30++ CF done by Kim Soo Hyun cannot be compared with <10 CF done by Yoona? kim soo hyun even made on the top 10 list for constantly start from 2012 until now but where is Yoona on the list? Yoona are not well loved by korean public. She just overhyped by his SM agency and his Sones.
You said only in Korea and not internationally and based on fees as well.. which kinda makes this list invalid.
Just a report about this subject came out today..
http://www.kpopherald.com/view.php?ud=201411261527226038961_2
@Joey 100 you believe what you want, if you want to think LMH and KSh are n°1 and n° 2, go ahead, just don’t troll the others. Gosh, that site isn’t even a relieble source (the one you provided)
@HopesDD
I really wanted to bury this long ass debate, but you open it up again.
The Kpopherald link is correct source speaking about the payment. The entire article on this blog and the comments kinda set up this debate.. It says CF stars in Korea? then you would automatic think about KSH and LMH. but they forget to say CF stars within only in South korean market or something.
Ockoalas robin hood campaign has reached its limits now..
I don’t know why you seem to think the number of CFs matter. Idols have tons of cheap CFs, but that doesn’t mean they are top CF stars. Quality over quantity.
Kim Yuna is a national hero and her 15 CFs outweigh KSH’s 30+
seung gi have only 4-5 cf’s .so go figure how that works.
Are you sure? I hadn’t counted them, but I’m sure he has more.
Anyway, with 4-5 CFs he’s still n°4, and the most beloved CF star.
Actully he only has 12 contracts with 12 different companies and still number 5. which kinda made me question the entire list. I can even post the list but lets just end this discussion.
@Joey100
He’s #4… And if you knew anything, you’d know there is no reason to question him being there. He’s one of biggest male CF star and most beloved celebs out there and one of the only younger ones that models things like home appliances and is a go-to guy for launching new products. He’s been on that list consistently, never really below the top 5, since 2009 because of his upstanding image. The number of CFs doesn’t matter that much. And stop buying media play about what some of these celebs earn as actual truth. lol
i’m seung gi biases so i was just making a point how he has fever cf’s
but how they are more relevant. i like all of them in the list . and who are not such as lmh psh etc.
but seung gi, kim yuna , who have been on the list from 2009 have a class of their own when it comes to cf.
suzy and ksh we’ll just have to wait and see how they will do in years to come.
You know what I actully found out that this List is correct and only based on South korean CFs.
I sincerely apologize this is a correct list.
Cuz Bae Suzy has about 21 CFs in SK, where Lee seung gi has 12. and KSH has 13 of his 35 in Korea. but he has bigger companies then KSH within korea. even do Suzy has the most number she is still in 3rd because the 2 above her have stronger brands and about 15-20 cfs.
Where LMH only has 5 of his 29 Cfs in SK. he really dosen’t belong on this list.
Thank you god you did more researches!!
It’s based ont the pay and the grew in sales the model provided to the company.
More Cfs with low pay, won’t equal fewer CFs with huge pay.
Forever CF queen Jun ji hyun My friend who is in korea now said that her face is everywhere she and ksh.
OMG at the butthurt KSH, LMH, PSH fans, putting down others.
What Ms. K said about KSH is true, he rides his fame. JJH on the other hand used to be a CF queen but those few years, she backed off. YWCFS boosted her popularity.
Kim Yuna is nation’s fairy, untouchable. Suzy is the beloved nation’s first love, she has the face and talent and people adore her.
For Lee Seung Gi, the guy with many national titles, his image is squeaky clean!!! Each product he endorces knew an incredible grew in sells, and for the 5th ahjusshi, have anyone sees one of his CFs? He makes a ramen CF into art! He’s hilarious.
I think even before mlfts jjh is consistent on the top 10 cf favorability.
She was the top I think 10 years ago, but dueto her long hiatus, she lost that place, but claimed it back with MLFS
@hopesdd what i mean is even if she is in hiatus on her movie career she is doing cf just like won bin doing right now that is why i said even before mlfts she is still on the the top10 cf favorability not on the top spot but still on the top 10.
That’s why I also sid it’s natural that she regained her throne with MLFS!!
*said*
This raking still slightly changes every month. And people should stop being silly talking about ksh. Keep in mind one thing if you still have mind: ksh signs more than 30 CFs, but some of them are for SK, the rest for overseas markets (including china, and the rest of asia). CFs for korean are promoted in korean only, CFs for china or else are promoted in those countries. This ranking is based on Cfs for south korean market only.
yoona may not do more cfs than suzy,but yoona is more costly than suzy.what suzy makes in 10 cfs,that what yoona makes in 2 cfs.yoona has grade than suzy.cause she is highly paid than suzy.
Yeahhh!! That’s why she on the list??
***sarcasm****
errr,excuse me.who told u shin hye is not that known in Korea?i suggest u think again…shin hye became really popular in korea after the movie success of MICN7 and FBND and then she did Heirs,and BAM!!! wheneven she held a small event,the place is always crowded by people.plus,how come GHJ,MCW,SMA and MGY arent included?i thought the were very popular in korea?!!!
Personally, if you’re not in the entertainment industry or a business looking for suitable spokesperson for your brands, the ranking report is just a good to know item only.
Disputing over who are the top CF stars within which region is quite meaningless. Will any of the money they earned flow into your pocket the more you argue for them?
Even if their international CF earnings outstrip those of the top 10 in S Korea, so what? How do they fare against the local talent then? They may very well be small fish in a very big pond. S Korea is not the only source of entertainers in Asia.
Lol, Beefcake rain? its a good thing KTH is among the top ten. SHE’S SO BLESSED.