Girls' Generation Named Korea's Most Influential Stars By Forbes

Who are the most influential entertainers in South Korea? Look no further than Forbes Korea's recently released list of the top 40 power celebrities.

The 'Korea Celebrity 40' is an annual ranking constructed by the magazine where popular stars in the entertainment industry are ranked according to product sales, media exposure, broadcasting activities, and professionalism.

For the third time iconic girl group Girls' Generation has topped the list. Previously claiming the number one spot in both 2011 and 2012, in 2013 they ranked second behind Psy.

Psy, on the other hand, did not even grace the top ten for 2014, dropping down to number twelve, tied with popular TV host and gagman Yoo Jae Suk.

If Girls' Generation is the undeniable K-Pop leader for girl groups, the Forbes Korea's pick for number two, Big Bang, are without a doubt the most influential among male singers. The five-member group came in number two this year after a fifth place ranking last year.

Recently spreading their unique sound across Japan with an insanely popular dome tour, Big Bang also saw huge success as solo artists as in the last year each of the individual members made huge solo releases with more expected to come in the near future.

Number three, according to Forbes, is young singer-actress Suzy of JYP Entertainment's popular Korean-Chinese girl group miss A.

Appearing for the first time on the list, Suzy's popularity has risen exponentially in the last year. Widely accepted as Korea's new "it girl" (somewhat akin to Jennifer Lawrence's popularity in the US), Suzy participated in the hit TV drama Gu Family Book alongside Lee Seung Gi (No. 14) and earned herself the award for Outstanding Korean Actress at the 8th Seoul International Drama Awards, among others.

Another first timer on the list, and the highest ranked athlete, is LA Dodgers pitcher Ryu Hyun Jin. He earned the spot after having an outstanding first season in the MLB and winning the hearts of fans all across America.

Ryu is joined by Texas Rangers outfielder Choo Shin Soo at number six and 2014 Olympic figure skating silver medalist Kim Yuna who maintained her same position from last year at number nine.

In a country where the music industry is without a doubt the most influential and profitable form of entertainment, it is no surprise then that the remainder of the top ten for Forbes Korea's 2014 celebrity ranking is filled in with more K-Pop stars.

SM Entertainment's twelve-member boy band EXO proved to be the objects of much attention as they dominated music charts in the last year and solidified their popularity among fans both in South Korea and beyond. They earned the number five spot.

SM continued their hold on the 2014 ranking with two more acts, TVXQ and SHINee, landing in positions seven and eight, respectively.

Finishing out the top ten is young songstress IU whose most recent album Modern Times was a sensation on the charts.

Tags
Girls Generation
Big Bang
Suzy
miss A
Lee Seung Gi
EXO
TVXQ
SHINee
IU
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