Blockbuster Korean historical thriller Harbin has shone bright as the undisputed domestic box office monster leading the chart since its release on December 24, according to Deadline. Starring the Crash Landing on You standout Hyun Bin, the film has since also been acquired for distribution in 117 countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and Asian nations Japan, Taiwan, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines.
Thanks to the massive cinematic rollout, its leading man landed atop this month’s Korean movie star brand reputation rankings. As per the Korean Business Research Institute’s big data update on January 14, Hyun Bin bested acclaimed industry names like Song Joong Ki and Squid Game Season 2’s Lee Byung Hyun, Lee Jung Jae, Gong Yoo, Yim Siwan, Lee Jin Wook and Kang Ha Neul.
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Harbin’s Hyun Bin leads January Korean actors brand rankings
Securing the top spot after a cumulative analysis of the big data reputation algorithm of 100 movie stars loved by Korean consumers, the Harbin actor scored a brand reputation index of 4,824,632. The staggering numbers included the integrated score of participation, communication, media, community, social values, and positive-negative ratios.
Compared to his position on the December movie star brand rankings roster, Hyun Bin witnessed a 157.45% rise. Owing to his affiliation with the Harbin brand, his search analysis also featured the film title and his character name, Ahn Jung Geun.
Other Top 5 Korean actors
Lee Jun Hyuk (or Lee Joon Hyuk), who is currently being celebrated for his performance in the SBS TV drama Love Scout and the 2024 film Firefighters, ranked second with a score of 4,593,532. His brand reputation index also soared by 110.93%.
Meanwhile, Lee Je Hoon’s score slipped by 11.59%. Despite his personal downward graph, the actor last seen in the 2024 film Escape and K-drama Chief Detective 1958 came in third with a cumulative score of 3,045,105.
In at #4 and #5, Squid Game stars Lee Byung Hyun and Lee Jung Jae rounded out the top 5 Korean actors in movies for January 2025. The former recorded a score of 3,042,003, whereas the latter clinched an index of 2,875,045.
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Here are the top 5 Korean actors of January 2025, according to the brand reputation rankings.
Top 30 Korean movie actors reputation rankings: January 2025
- Hyun Bin (Harbin)
- Lee Jun Hyuk (Firefighters, Love Scout)
- Lee Je Hoon (Escape)
- Lee Byung Hun (Squid Game Season 2)
- Lee Jung Jae (Squid Game Season 2)
- Kim Nam Gil (The Fiery Priest 2)
- Jung Hae In (Veteran 2, Love Next Door)
- Kim Hee Won
- Gong Yoo (Squid Game, The Trunk)
- Lee Dong Wook (Harbin)
- Yim Siwan (Squid Game 2)
- Hwang Jung Min (12.12: The Day, Veteran 2, Mission: Cross)
- Wi Ha Joon (Squid Game)
- Kim Tae Ri (Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born)
- Park Bo Young (Light Shop)
- Song Joong Ki (Bogota)
- Lee Jin Wook (Squid Game 2, Dear Hyeri)
- Lee Dong Hwi (The Roundup: Punishment, Chief Detective 1958)
- Go Youn Jung
- Jeon Yeon Been (Harbin)
- Go Soo (Parole Examiner Lee)
- Bae Doona (Family Matters, Rebel Moon Part 2)
- Lee Hanee (Alienoid: Return to the Future, The Fiery Priest 2)
- Uhm Tae Goo (My Sweet Mobster, Light Shop)
- Song Seung Heon (Hidden Face)
- Lee Yi Kyung (Marry My Husband, Face Me, Marry You)
- Kang Ha Neul (Squid Game 2)
- Kim Si Eun (Squid Game Season 2)
- Ha Jung Woo (Hijack 1971)
- Jung So Min (Love Next Door)