10 most powerful Korean celebrities of 2021, revealed: K-pop superstars BTS and Blackpink, footballer Son Heung-min and comedian Yoo Jae-suk made Forbes’ prestigious list

Dec 17 , 2021

BTS, Blackpink, Son Heung-min and more most powerful South Korean celebrities in the world.
Photos: @bts.bighitofficial, @jennierubyjane, @hm_son7, @jaesukkie1408, @yoonjung_lemonade, @zerotak_mandarin9707/Instagram — BTS, Blackpink, Son Heung-min and more most powerful South Korean celebrities in the world. Photos: @bts.bighitofficial, @jennierubyjane, @hm_son7, @jaesukkie1408, @yoonjung_lemonade, @zerotak_mandarin9707/Instagram

Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie and Lisa have cemented their status with deals with Chanel, Dior, YSL and Celine, and raked in billions of YouTube views for Ddu-Du Ddu-Du

Winner of Mr. Trot Lim Young-woong, Major League Baseball Player Ryu Hyun-jin, Young Tak and Jang Yoon-jeong are also among the most influential hallyu stars, according to Forbes Korea

Forbes Korea revealed its list of most powerful Korean celebrities, titled Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40. The annual list gauges the influence of superstars on the global stage based on media exposure, popularity on social media, TV appearances and earnings. The star-studded list includes the hottest K-pop idols, baseball players, trot singers and more who made significant contributions to Korean culture and the country’s global image.

So who made it to the top 10?

1. BTS

K-pop group BTS became the first Asian group to win the American Music Award for artist of the year. Photo: @bts_bighit/Twitter

It’s no surprise that megastar K-pop group BTS topped the list after its success on global music charts and many history-making moments this year. The song Butter led the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks straight before it was replaced by none other than another BTS single, Permission To Dance, which also led the chart for another record-breaking eight weeks, per The Manila Bulletin.

This year, they became the first Asian group to win the American Music Award for artist of the year, reports Teen Vogue.

BTS performs during the 49th Annual American Music Awards at Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California on November 21. Photo: Reuters

The band’s stardom has brought it a huge fortune of about US$50 million and each of the seven members’ net worth is about US$20-25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

2. Blackpink

Blackpink members Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie and Lisa. Photo: @blackpinkofficial/Instagram

The “queen” crown no doubt belongs to Blackpink. It took the powerhouse girl group only five years to become one of the world’s most popular bands, reigning not only in music, but also fashion. Its many achievements include becoming the first K-pop group to reach 1.7 billion views on YouTube in September for single Ddu-Du Ddu-Du and surpassing Justin Bieber as the most subscribed artist on YouTube with 70.5 million subscribers.