Gallup Korea Research Institute or Gallup Korea is a research company in South Korea. They conduct a year-end public survey on social, political, and entertainment matters since 2007.
For this year’s “TV Actor of the Year”, 1,700 people were interviewed across South Korea from November 5-28, 2021. Who shines the most in the Korean entertainment field? Here are the top 5 actors according to the survey:
#1 – Kim Seonho: 7.8%
Kim Seonho played the role of Chief Hong Dusik in “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”. During its entire run, he dominated the weekly rankings of the most buzzworthy drama actors as well as topped the various polls and surveys. He also ranked #1 in the Drama Actor Brand Reputation with a brand reputation index of 5,551,730 in September 2021 and 7,201,577 in October 2021.
On December 2nd, he scored a double win of “AAA RET Popularity Award” and “U+Idol Live Popularity Award” at the Asia Artist Awards (AAA).
It was also reported that the actor ranked #1 among the Korean celebrities who was most searched in Google Philippines and #1 most searched male actors in Singapore.
#2 – Shin Mina: 7.3%
Shin Mina, the female lead star of “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”, is an award-winning model and actress for 20+ years. She is also one of the most in-demand and highest paid commercial endorsers in South Korea.
Known for her fashion inspirations, she was named as the new female global brand ambassador for Gucci on November 11th.
#3 – Lee Jung-jae: 7.3%
Lee Jung-jae is the lead actor of the viral hit Netflix Original series, “Squid Game”. He took home three awards from Asia Artist Awards (AAA) 2021 including Daesang (Grand Prize) Actor of the Year, AAA Fabulous Award, and Hot Trend Award.
He has also been nominated as the Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Critics Choice Award, an American award-giving body.
Moreover, he was named as the new male global brand ambassador for Gucci on November 11th.
#4 – Jeon Ji-hyun: 5.5%
Jeon Ji-hyun is a multi-awarded actress in South Korea who rose to stardom for her role in the popular series, “My Sassy Girl” (2001).
After 5 years of hiatus, she appeared as the main lead of the hit series, “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” and “Jirisan” in 2021.
It was also reported that she topped the list of the highest paid female Korean celebrity with 200 million won earnings per episode.
#5 – Song Hye-kyo: 5.2%
Song Hye-kyo is another multi-awarded Korean actress who rose to stardom for her role in the hit series, “Full House” (2004). She also ranked 6th in Forbes magazine’s Korea Power Celebrity in 2018.
After two years of hiatus, she is back on the small screen through “Now, We Are Breaking Up”, an ongoing romantic series.
She is also reported to earn 200 million won per episode this year.
KORB 