A new Korean entertainment industry ranking system has crowned IVE member Jang Won-young as the most influential female K-pop idol, challenging traditional popularity metrics in the $10 billion global K-pop market.
The K-Brand Index, launched by the Asia Brand Research Institute, analyzed over 174 million online data points between September and October 2024 to evaluate 35 top female performers. The system aims to provide more rigorous measurement than existing reputation rankings.
BLACKPINK’s Jennie and aespa’s Karina rounded out the top three positions. The results notably diverged from recent Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute rankings, particularly for NewJeans members Minji and Hani, who showed stronger performance in the new system.
The institute’s research head Ryu Won-seon said the methodology requires at least 48 hours of data processing and emphasizes objective metrics to ensure fairness. The system weighs multiple factors including media coverage, social media activity and sentiment analysis.
The launch comes as K-pop’s global influence continues expanding, with management companies seeking more sophisticated tools to measure and monetize artist popularity. The institute says it plans to release regular updates across multiple entertainment categories.
