The Korean Business Research Institute just released its September brand reputation rankings for film actors, and the leading ladies of The Affair Was Just the Beginning swept the top spots. Kim Hye Soo claimed No. 1 with a brand reputation index of 3,398,492 — up 21% from August — powered by keywords like “HOPE” and a striking 91.52% positive sentiment score. Her co-star Cho Yeo Jeong wasn’t far behind at No. 2, posting the month’s biggest jump: a 70.85% surge.

These rankings come from an analysis of media coverage, consumer participation, and online community buzz, a method similar to the brand equity models used across the global entertainment and marketing industry to measure a public figure’s commercial pull.

September Top 5 Movie Stars

Rank	Actor	Brand Index	Monthly Change
1	Kim Hye Soo	3,398,492	+21.03%
2	Cho Yeo Jeong	2,888,658	+70.85%
3	Jun Ji Hyun	2,769,772	+48.69%
4	Shin Min Ah	2,733,936	+38.70%
5	Go Youn Jung	2,687,733	—

Beyond the top five, familiar names like Kong Hyo Jin, Ha Jung Woo, Hyun Bin, and Lee Byung Hun rounded out the top 30, showing just how wide this month’s field really was — a mix of veteran stars and rising faces all riding strong drama and film buzz.

FAQs

How is the brand reputation index calculated?

It combines consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness data collected over a one-month period.

Why did Cho Yeo Jeong’s score jump so much this month?

Her co-starring role in the hit drama “The Affair Was Just the Beginning” alongside Kim Hye Soo drove a major spike in media coverage and fan engagement.