BTS member Jungkook has secured the top position in the individual idol category of the K-Brand Index.
On June 26th, the Asia Brand Research Institute, a leading big data evaluation organization, announced that Jungkook (BTS) was selected as the No. 1 K-Pop idol in the individual category for the first half of the 2026 K-Brand Index.
The K-Brand Index is calculated as a cumulative score, applying criteria that exclude specific weights for each sector’s Trend, Media, Social, Positive sentiment, Negative sentiment, Activation (TA), Community engagement, and AI Index.
For the first half of 2026 K-Pop Idol Individual category in the K-Brand Index, the analysis focused on the top 30 individuals based on portal site search volume. This involved analyzing 1,625,659,763 instances of online big data collected from January 1 to May 31, 2026.
In the K-Brand Index’s first half of 2026 K-Pop Idol Individual category, BTS’s Jungkook ranked 1st. Following him were Jang Won-young (IVE) in 2nd, Jennie (BLACKPINK) in 3rd, Jimin (BTS) in 4th, G-Dragon (BIGBANG) in 5th, Karina (aespa) in 6th, Rosé (BLACKPINK) in 7th, V (BTS) in 8th, Winter (aespa) in 9th, and Yeonjun (TXT) in 10th.
Ryu Won-sun, head of the Asia Brand Research Institute’s Research Center, commented, “K-Pop has firmly established itself as a representative cultural content, extending beyond albums and concerts to encompass fashion, advertising, platforms, and social media. With the increasing emphasis on individual activities, the brand power and content dissemination capabilities of individual artists are becoming even more critical competitive factors than group-level recognition. This first-half ranking, which features both world stars and emerging icons, once again confirms K-Pop’s broad appeal and significant influence.”
He further explained, “Jungkook’s rise to the top spot is a testament to his musical achievements, global recognition, and strong fan community. The presence of Jang Won-young and Jennie in the top tier symbolizes K-Pop’s expansion beyond music into fashion, beauty, and lifestyle domains. The inclusion of next-generation artists like Karina, Winter, and Yeonjun in the TOP10 clearly highlights a coexisting structure of diverse age groups and styles within the industry.”
