Lee Min Ho was selected as the most popular Korean celebrity, as determined by a recent poll of Arab Hallyu enthusiasts.

On October 15, Yonhap News reported the results of the survey, which sampled 3,000 KBS Radio listeners from 22 Arabic-speaking countries.  The "Gangnam 1970" star dominated the results with 14.8 of respondents selecting him as the person who they immediately and positively associate with South Korea.

The popular star continues to reach international audiences, through his high-profile endorsements and recent appointment as the honorary ambassador to the 2018 Pyongyang Olympics.

His ability to garner global attention was exemplified through the success of the recent Korean Tourism Organization campaign, whose YouTube ads received more than 22 million views. 

Lee was followed by the powerhouse K-pop group, Super Junior, who placed second with 10.8. EXO followed with 9. The SM Entertainment boy bands continue to maintain momentum with audiences beyond Korea, serving  as spokesmodels for Lotte Duty-Free, alongside Lee. 

Park Shin Hye, whose popularity reached explosive levels through dramas like "You're Beautiful," "The Heirs" and "Pinocchio,"  received 5.1 percent of the popular vote from respondents.  

The survey participants also demonstrated their knowledge of Korean political figures. President Park Geun Hyun and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, received 2.6 percent of votes, in the KBS survey. 

While the respondents were enthusiastic about Korean pop culture, with 95.1 percent stating that content like music and drama has positively impacted their image of Korea, they also weighed in on the challenges faced by Arab people who visit the nation. 

The lack of Halal food was cited by 27 percent of respondents, as one of the drawbacks of visiting Korea, while 14.5 percent of survey takers noted the inability to communicate through Arab-language with native Koreans.

----
Adrienne Stanley is a contributing editor at KDramaStars. She is also a contributing music writer at KpopStarz, MTV Iggy and other publications. When she is not listening to "Rhythm Ta," she can be found on Twitter. (@retrogirladdy).