Im Hero Tops Brand Ambassador Rankings

Singer Lim Young-woong ranked first in the 'K-Brand Index' advertising model category. The Asia Brand Institute, a big data evaluation agency, announced these results on the 25th.

The 'K-Brand Index' is calculated by synthesizing data such as trends, media, social, positive, negative, activation, community, and AI index. This advertising model evaluation was conducted by analyzing approximately 4.8 billion pieces of online big data from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, targeting the top 30 individuals with the highest search volume on portal sites.

Lim Young-woong recorded first place, with IU (2nd), Park Bo-gum (3rd), Jang Won-young (4th), Yoo Jae-suk (5th), Jungkook (6th), Byeon Woo-seok (7th), V (8th), Karina (9th), and Lee Jun-ho (10th) rounding out the TOP10.

Ryu Won-sun, head of the research center at the Asia Brand Institute, analyzed the results, stating, "This is a result of the broad public appeal that spans all generations and the firepower of a fandom with strong purchasing power being three-dimensionally reflected in brand value." He added that the big data proved the presence of Lim Young-woong, IU, and Park Bo-gum, who ranked at the very top, as "irreplaceable top models" most trusted in the advertising industry.

Ryu also pointed out the firm position of icons leading global trends such as Jang Won-young, Yoo Jae-suk, BTS's Jungkook, Byeon Woo-seok, V, Karina, and Lee Jun-ho as noteworthy. He explained that this suggests the public's evaluation criteria for advertising models are shifting beyond simple recognition to focus on "guaranteed box office success" that drives actual brand sales.