Yoo Jae-suk Tops March 2026 Variety Show Star Brand Reputation Rankings

The March 2026 brand reputation rankings for variety show stars have been released, with Yoo Jae-suk securing the top spot, followed by Ji Suk-jin and Park Myung-soo.

The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute analyzed 72,717,089 pieces of brand big data from February 1 to March 1, 2026, for 50 variety show stars. This analysis measured consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and social media conversations. Compared to February's 75,094,290 pieces of data, there was a 3.17% decrease.

The brand reputation index is derived from extracting brand big data and analyzing consumer behavior, categorized into participation value, communication value, media value, and social network value. The analysis includes participation, media, communication, and community indices, along with brand monitoring and value evaluation.

The top 30 variety show stars for March 2026 are Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Park Myung-soo, Jun Hyun-moo, Kim Jong-kook, Shin Dong-yup, Haha, Seo Jang-hoon, Heo Kyung-hwan, Kim Sook, Jung Joon-ha, Kim Jong-min, Kang Ho-dong, Kim Gura, Kim Dong-hyun, Lee Soo-ji, Joo Woo-jae, Ahn Jung-hwan, Kim Jun-ho, Jang Do-yeon, Kim Young-chul, Lee Kyung-kyu, Kim Hee-chul, Tak Jae-hoon, Lee Young-ja, Song Ji-hyo, Yang Se-chan, Lee Soo-geun, Lee Sang-min, and Hong Jin-kyung.

Yoo Jae-suk, who ranked first, achieved a brand reputation index of 6,019,349, with a participation index of 425,802, media index of 600,795, communication index of 2,497,611, and community index of 2,495,141. This marks a 10.45% decrease from February's index of 6,721,567.

In second place, Ji Suk-jin's brand reputation index was 2,930,293, with a participation index of 289,216, media index of 259,899, communication index of 1,359,295, and community index of 1,021,883, reflecting a 201.99% increase from February's 970,335.

Park Myung-soo, in third place, had a brand reputation index of 2,707,601, with a participation index of 88,561, media index of 424,726, communication index of 1,133,720, and community index of 1,060,595, showing a 167.03% increase from February's 1,013,963.

Jun Hyun-moo, ranked fourth, had a brand reputation index of 2,707,312, with a participation index of 345,215, media index of 288,572, communication index of 1,004,354, and community index of 1,069,171, marking a 13.90% decrease from February's 3,144,254.

Kim Jong-kook, in fifth place, achieved a brand reputation index of 2,487,199, with a participation index of 105,925, media index of 194,691, communication index of 1,206,216, and community index of 980,367, reflecting a 112.07% increase from February's 1,172,813.

Koo Chang-hwan, director of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, stated, "In the March 2026 brand big data analysis, Yoo Jae-suk's brand ranked first. Compared to last month's 75,094,290 pieces of data, there was a 3.17% decrease. Detailed analysis shows a 1.47% decrease in brand consumption, a 2.75% increase in brand issues, a 1.31% increase in brand communication, and a 9.55% decrease in brand diffusion."

He added, "In the link analysis for Yoo Jae-suk's brand, 'rise,' 'potential,' and 'breakthrough' were prominent, while in the keyword analysis, 'Hangout with Yoo,' 'Pung Hyang Go,' and 'You Quiz on the Block' ranked high. The positive-to-negative ratio for Yoo Jae-suk's brand was 94.07% positive." Yoo Jae-suk is currently hosting 'You Quiz on the Block' solo after Jo Se-ho's departure due to controversy. Additionally, 'Hangout with Yoo' and 'Running Man,' which faced criticism last year, have successfully rebounded, leading to comments that "Yoo Jae-suk's Nth prime has returned."

This brand reputation survey analyzed the brand big data of 50 variety show stars, including Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Park Myung-soo, Jun Hyun-moo, Kim Jong-kook, Shin Dong-yup, Haha, Seo Jang-hoon, Heo Kyung-hwan, Kim Sook, Jung Joon-ha, Kim Jong-min, Kang Ho-dong, Kim Gura, Kim Dong-hyun, Lee Soo-ji, Joo Woo-jae, Ahn Jung-hwan, Kim Jun-ho, Jang Do-yeon, Kim Young-chul, Lee Kyung-kyu, Kim Hee-chul, Tak Jae-hoon, Lee Young-ja, Song Ji-hyo, Yang Se-chan, Lee Soo-geun, Lee Sang-min, Hong Jin-kyung, Ji Sang-ryeol, Jung Hyung-don, Eun Ji-won, Kim Won-hoon, Yoon Jong-shin, Kim Jun-hyun, Kim Sung-joo, Lee Dong-gook, Cha Tae-hyun, Noh Hong-chul, Defconn, Kim Dae-hee, Moon Se-yoon, Park Mi-sun, Lee Ji-hye, Jo Se-ho, Kim Min-kyung, Song Eun-i, Kim Gook-jin, and Shin Bong-sun.

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr