BTS once again proved their strong popularity by taking No. 1 in the July 2026 Star Brand Reputation Rankings, while RESCENE climbed to No. 2 with a remarkable increase in brand reputation. Lim Young Woong completed the top three in the latest monthly rankings released by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute.
The rankings were based on an analysis of 214,383,945 pieces of big data collected between June 28 and July 28. The institute evaluated participation, media, communication, and community indexes, along with a weighted recommendation index, to measure consumer engagement with leading entertainers, singers, actors, idol groups, and athletes.
BTS, made up of RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, recorded a brand reputation index of 8,131,706, marking a 21.71% increase from June and securing the No. 1 spot.
RESCENE ranked second with a brand reputation index of 7,974,809, posting the biggest growth among the top three with a 71.25% increase compared to the previous month.
The group's recent success has continued to boost its public recognition.
Singer Lim Young Woong placed third with a brand reputation index of 5,814,144. Although his score declined by 13.33% from June, he remained among the country's most influential celebrity brands.
Actor So Ji Sub ranked fourth after the strong performance of Agent Kim Reactivated, while veteran television host Yoo Jae Suk rounded out the top five with a 3.33% increase in his brand reputation score.
Koo Chang Hwan, director of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, explained that BTS maintained the top position through their continued global activities, including the FIFA World Cup final halftime show and their world tour. He also noted that RESCENE has become a fan-driven reverse-chart success story, while Lim Young Woong continues to expand his positive influence through his dedicated fanbase.
The institute also reported that the total amount of star brand big data analyzed in July decreased by 13.72% compared to June, with declines recorded across brand consumption, brand issues, communication, and brand expansion metrics. Despite the overall drop in data volume, BTS, RESCENE, and Lim Young Woong remained the top three names in this month's Star Brand Reputation Rankings.
