Lee Sun-min tops October 2026 K-Brand Index for entertainers

Lee Sun-min ranked first in the entertainer category of the October 2026 K-Brand Index, surpassing Yoo Jae-suk and Joo Woo-jae. The Asia Brand Research Institute determined the rankings by analyzing 483,677,891 pieces of online big data based on portal site search volumes from October 1 to October 31.

Lee Sun-min ranked first in the entertainer category of the October 2026 K-Brand Index announced by the Asia Brand Research Institute. Yoo Jae-suk took second place, followed by Joo Woo-jae in third, Kian84 in fourth, and Haha in fifth. Seo Jang-hoon, Jun Hyun-moo, Kwak Beom, Kim Jong-min, and Shin Dong-yup followed them in the rankings.

The Asia Brand Research Institute stated that the rankings were calculated by analyzing 483,677,891 pieces of online big data from the top 30 individuals in the entertainer category based on portal site search volumes from October 1 to October 31. The K-Brand Index is an online big data-based analysis system developed in cooperation with domestic and international researchers, and it is used as a reference indicator that comprehensively examines digital data accumulated in daily life and public interest.

These results show that the influence of entertainers is being driven more by online spreadability and character competitiveness than by the frequency of television appearances. In particular, as consumption centered on YouTube and short-form content increases, there is a trend where the range of ranking fluctuations between established stars and newcomers is growing.

“Recently, the competitiveness of entertainment content is expanding from broadcast exposure to the differentiation and impact of characters,” said Ryu Won-seon, head of the research center at the Asia Brand Research Institute. “As digital platforms such as YouTube and short-form content have established themselves as major consumption channels, it has become difficult to secure brand dominance through existing broadcasting careers or recognition alone. Newcomers with original characters and online spreadability are causing changes in the competitive structure of the existing entertainment industry.” Ryu added that Lee Sun-min's ascent to first place is interpreted as a result of a unique character and independent comedy style built on Meta Comedy driving online content consumption and search responses.

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