BTS tops the list of the most powerful celebrities in Korea. It is a South Korean k-pop boy band whose name is an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which means "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" in Korean. They are also known as Bangtan Boys, and their BTS moniker has been shortened to "Beyond The Scene." Before signing with Big Hit Entertainment in 2013, the group established in 2010. They've published eight studio albums through Universal Music over the course of their career, the most recent of which was "Be," which was released in 2020. That same year, they released their debut English-language single, "Dynamite," which set a YouTube record for the most watched premiere.

BTS has become a global phenomenon in recent years, and they are now the world's richest boyband, with a net worth of $50 million. The South Korean band is the country's best-selling artist, and they became the first group since The Beatles to achieve four US number one albums in less than two years. In August, the popular boyband set a new record for the most Youtube views in 24 hours, with their video "Dynamite" garnering 101.1 million views in just one day.

The BTS members include:

• RM: Born Kim Nam-joom, RM is the main rapper and leader of the band. The 26-year-old studied in New Zealand and is fluent in English. He's also released a self-titled solo album. Caring for the environment is a social cause he's come to be known for among fans.
• Jin: Born Kim Seok-jin, Jin, 28, is the oldest member in the group. Jin is known as a vocalist and has a degree in art and acting from Konkuk University. While studying at university, he was scouted for the group.
• Suga: Born Min Yoon-gi, Suga, 28 is also a rapper in the band. Despite being a successful rapper, Suga initially wanted to be a producer and had no interest in rapping. Throughout his career, he has spoken out about mental health and is known to be charitable.
• J-Hope: Born Jung Ho-seok, J-Hope, 27, is one of the songwriters of the group and has over 77 songs accredited to his name. In 2018 he also released a solo tape. He recently told TeenVogue that his all-time favorite film is If Only.
• V: Born Kim Tae-hyung, V is 25 and along with being a singer, is also an actor. In August 28, 2021, V's stage cam become the most viewed fancam of the year with over over 12 million views. BTS's Jungkook holds the second highest viewed video with over 10 million views.
• Jungkook: Born Jeon Jung-kook, Jungkook, 23, is the youngest member of the band. With his birthday only a few days away, on August 29, Jungkook started trending as their "ARMY" prepare for his big day. On the same day, his Spotify playlist, "Jungkook's Favorite Tracks," became the most-followed individual Korean artist playlist on the platform with over 1.5 million followers.
• Jimin: Born Park Ji-min, Jimin, 25, is the lead vocalist and was the last member to join the band. He studied contemporary dance and was known for being one of the best in his class.

• Also known as: Bangtan Boys, Bangtan Sonyeondan, Beyond the Scene, Bulletproof Boy Scouts
• Origin: South Korea
• Genres: K-pop, pop, hip hop, R&B, EDM
• Years active: 2013–present
• Labels: Big Hit, Pony Canyon, Def Jam Japan, Columbia, Universal

Blackpink is 2nd on the list of the most powerful celebrities in Korea. The members of YG Entertainment's trainee system in South Korea auditioned with the entertainment agency to become pupils or'trainees,' with the intention of one day making their debut as a recording artist. When Blackpink first emerged, their label, YG Entertainment, explained that the moniker is meant to imply that the group is more than just pretty. The statement added, "The meaning of BLACKPINK intends to counter the usual perception of the hue pink." "Pink is generally associated with beauty, however BLACKPINK truly means "pretty isn't everything." It also represents that they are a group that is not just beautiful but also talented."

Between their debut in 2016 and the release of The Album in 2020, Blackpink only released 22 singles. Despite their limited repertoire, the group's glam style and lively dance were rapidly imitated in social media videos by other K-pop groups and fans. The songs about independence and vulnerability, bilingual lyrics, and unmistakable stage presence account for the majority of Blackpink's success. Blackpink is also known for the aesthetic of their music videos, which they regard to as "concepts." Whereas other K-pop music videos may have two or three themes, Blackpink's music videos frequently feature five or six fully separate concepts (complete with varied hair colors and attire).

The BLACKPINK members include:

• Kim Jisoo: is a singer who is frequently described as "adorable" by BLINKs (the official name of Blackpink fans). She's noted for her calmness and poise, as well as her ability to balance strange objects on her head or shoulders; prior recordings showed her holding a cup or an award. Jisoo has previously been in advertisements and was recently named as the lead in the new drama Snowdrop. The singer speaks Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, while being the only member who does not speak English fluently.
• Jennie: Kim Jennie had been in the program for just over six years, making her the longest of the group. Jennie was born and raised in New Zealand before returning to South Korea in 2010. She is fluent in English, Korean, and Japanese. She was the first member of Blackpink to record a solo tune, "SOLO," which she co-wrote.
• Rosé: Park Chaeyoung (Rosé) is a South Korean singer who was born in New Zealand and reared in Australia, where she tried out for YG Entertainment. After coming to South Korea to participate in the trainee program, Rosé became fluent in English and learnt Korean. She is the group's lead singer, and her distinct voice is easily recognized by fans. Rosé wowed fans (and Shakira herself) during a promotional performance for The Album with her rendition of "Waka Waka."
• Lisa: Lalisa Pranpriya Manoban is well-known for her rapping and dancing abilities. Lisa (like Rosé) was born and raised in Thailand and learned Korean after migrating to South Korea in 2011. Lisa is also fluent in Japanese and Chinese. Lisa frequently displays her impromptu dance skills during promotional appearances, resulting in viral moments for the group.

• Origin: Seoul, South Korea
• Genres: K-pop, EDM, hip hop, trap
• Years active2016–present
• Labels: YG, YGEX, Interscope

Son Heung-min ranks 3rd on the list of the most powerful celebrities in Korea. It (born July 8, 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who captains the South Korean national team and plays as a forward for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Son was the first Asian player in the Premier League to score 50 goals. Son, who was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, moved to Germany at the age of 16 to join Hamburger SV, with whom he made his Bundesliga debut in 2010. He joined Bayer Leverkusen for a club record €10 million in 2013, before joining Tottenham two years later for £22 million, becoming him the most expensive Asian player in history. While at Tottenham, Son became the top Asian goalscorer in both Premier League and Champions League history, and surpassed Cha Bum-kun's record for most goals scored by a Korean player in European competition. In 2019, he became the second Asian in history to reach and start a UEFA Champions League final after fellow countryman Park Ji-sung.

Son has been a full international since 2010, and he has three goals to his name in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. He is South Korea's joint best scorer with Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan. Son has also competed for South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games, where the team won gold, as well as the AFC Asian Cup in 2011, 2015, and 2019. In 2015, Korea came in second place. Son is often regarded as a sports star in South Korea, and his performances have earned him a spot on Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40, where he was placed third in 2022.

• Full name: Son Heung-min
• Date of birth: 8 July 1992 (age 29)
• Place of birth: Chuncheon, South Korea
• Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
• Position(s): Forward

Hyun-jin Ryu ranked 4th on the list of the most powerful celebrities in Korea. It is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles. He became the first player from the KBO to join an MLB team via the posting system in 2013, after seven seasons with the Eagles. Ryu is the first Korean pitcher to start a game in the World Series. Ryu was named to his first career Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2019. He led the Majors in earned run average (ERA) during that season, posting a 1.26 ERA through his first 14 starts, the lowest by a Dodgers pitcher since the metric was introduced in 1912.

Ryu was chosen first overall in the second round of the 2006 KBO League Draft by the Hanwha Eagles in July 2005, and he made his professional debut on April 12, 2006. Ryu had an 18–6 win–loss record, a 2.23 ERA, and 205 strikeouts in 201.2 innings pitched in his rookie season of 2006. He earned the Triple Crown in pitching and was voted Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. He became the first and only player in KBO history to earn Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. In August 2008, Ryu was a member of the South Korean national baseball team, which won the gold medal in the baseball event at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Ryu pitched a full game shutout against Canada in the team's third round-robin game, allowing only five hits. He pitched 81/3 innings in the gold medal game against Cuba, conceding two earned runs in a 3–2 triumph.

In March 2009, he was a member of the South Korean national baseball team, which finished second to eventual champion Japan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Ryu represented South Korea at the 2010 Asian Games, where the national baseball team won the gold medal. On May 11, 2010, against the LG Twins at Cheongju Sports Complex Baseball Stadium, Ryu became the first pitcher in history to strike out 17 batters in a nine-inning game. Ryu had a 2.66 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 2012, although he only had a 9–9 win–loss record and ten no decisions. Ryu has declared his desire to play Major League Baseball in the United States on numerous occasions, and scouts from a number of MLB teams have visited Korea to observe Ryu's pitching.

• Born: March 25, 1987 (age 35)Incheon, South Korea
• KBO: April 12, 2006, for the Hanwha Eagles
• MLB: April 2, 2013, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Win–loss record: 98–52
• Earned run average: 2.80
• Strikeouts: 1,238

Lee Seung-gi ranks 5th on the list of the most powerful celebrities in Korea. It is a South Korean singer, actor, host and entertainer. Known as "Prince of Ballad", he has a huge number of hits like "Because You're My Woman", "Delete", and "Return". He is recognized as an actor and became famous worldwide thanks to his leading roles in the films Brilliant Legacy (2009), My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox (2010), The King 2 Hearts (2012). ), Gu Family Book (2013), You're All Surrounded (2014), A Korean Odyssey (2017–2018), Wanderer (2019) and Mouse: The Man-hunter (2021). He is also a fixed member of the show 1 Night 2 Days from September 2007 to February 2012, The Butler (TV show) from December 31, 2017 to present, and is also the host of the talk show. Strong Heart from October 2009 to April 2012.

Lee Seung-gi's success as a singer, actor and presenter has earned him the title of "Triple Threat" of the entertainment industry. He was first included in Forbes Korea's 40 Powerful Celebrities list in 2010 with seventh place, then fourth in 2011 and sixth in 2012 and 2015. He was one of 3 powerful celebrities have been on this list for a decade. His success in dramas in Asian regions has made him a top Hallyu star. He is also on the list of the highest paid Korean actors in 2021, in fourth place. Most recently, he was selected as one of 200 actors (100 male and 100 female) to participate in the 200 Korean actors campaign run by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). The purpose of this methodical project is to select actors who represent the present and future of Korean cinema most and introduce them to overseas filmmakers.

• Born: January 13, 1987 (age 35)Dobong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Occupation: Singer, actor, host, entertainer, model, CEO, producer
• Years active: 2004–present
• Awards: Full list

Lim Young-woong ranked 6th on the list of the most powerful celebrities in Korea. It is a trot and ballad singer, entertainer, and YouTuber from South Korea. In 2016, he signed with Mulgogi Music and released his first single, "Hate You." He became famous four years later after winning first place out of 17,000 contestants on the reality television show Mr. Trot. Lim's track "My Starry Love" reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart for the first time in 2021. Lim has released one collaborative medley album, eight singles, and one soundtrack since his debut in 2016, garnering two Gaon Digital Chart number-one hits with "My Starry Love" and "Love Always Runs Away." He is also the first trot artist ever to receive the Gold Play Button for achieving one million subscribers on his official YouTube channel.

Lim launched his own YouTube account in 2016 with an official audio video for his first single "Hate You." He released his debut song cover video on December 4 of that year, covering Nam Jin and Jang Yoon-duet jeong's "I Like You." Lim has consistently pushed himself since then, publishing his song cover videos there. He's also used the channel to engage with his followers, uploading behind-the-scenes films, live performance videos, highlight clips, comment readings, birthday live broadcasts, and vlogs. On February 23, 2021, Lim opened a YouTube Shorts channel named "Lim Young-woong Shorts", with his 28-second competition practice video for Mr. Trot uploaded the same day. Lim received the Silver Play Button for having more than 100,000 subscribers on his official channel in March 2020.In October that same year, the channel surpassed one million subscribers, making him the first trot artist to achieve this feat.

• Born: June 16, 1991 (age 30),Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
• Other names: Lim Hero (or Im Hero)[a]
• Education: Kyungbok University [ko](Department of Practical Music)
• Occupation: Singer, Entertainer, YouTuber
• Years active2016–present
  

Youn Yuh-jung is a South Korean actress with a career spanning five decades in film and television. An Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination are among her honors. She has been in a number of South Korean TV shows and films. Her performance in Minari earned her international acclaim (2020). She became the first Korean actress to win a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Independent Spirit Award, a British Academy Film Award, and an Academy Award, as well as the first to be nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, for her depiction of Soon-ja in the film.

Yuh-jung was a rising celebrity in South Korea by the late 1960s, winning multiple honors for her portrayal in Woman of Fire (1971). She took a break from performing for several years before returning in the late 1980s. Yuh-jung is recognized for her roles in the South Korean films The Housemaid (2010), The Taste of Money (2012), The Bacchus Lady (2016), and Canola, in addition to Woman of Fire and Minari (2016). She's also recognized for playing the matriarch in the South Korean family drama series Men of the Bath House (1995), Be Strong Geum Soon (2005), Daughters-in-Law (2007), My Husband Got a Family (2012), and Dear My Friends (2016). She had an appearance in the Apple TV+ series Pachinko in 2022.

• Born: June 19, 1947 (age 74)Kaesong, Gyeonggi, Korea (now Kaesong, North Hwanghae, North Korea)
• Other names: Yoon Yeo-jeong
• Education: Ewha Girls' High School
• Alma mater: Hanyang University
• Occupation: Actress
• Years active: 1966–present
• Agent: Hook Entertainment

Yoo Jae-Suk is a South Korean comedian and host of a variety show on television. People have elected him the most popular Korean comedian for five years in a row, earning him the moniker "MC of the Nation" (since 2004). In South Korea, he has hosted various variety shows, including the massively popular Infinite Challenge and the currently airing Running Man. He's known as "The Grasshopper" for his early appearances dressed as a grasshopper, and he's established himself as one of Korea's top comedians and TV personalities. Yoo Jae-Suk was born on August 14, 1972, in Seoul, South Korea, as the first of three children (he has two younger sisters). Yoo Jae-Suk studied in the Seoul Institute of the Arts, but due to his busy schedule as a comedian, he was unable to complete his degree.

In 1991, he made his television debut alongside Choi Seung-Gyung on the KBS Comedian Festival (for college students), performing a parody of a commercial. One of his early noteworthy moments in Infinity Challenge was him dancing to a cover of New Kids on the Block's "Step by Step." He hosted a program called Live and Enjoy Together in 2000, owing to Choi Jin-request, Sil's after nine years of hard circumstances. The show was an instant hit, and Yoo Jae-Suk has subsequently hosted a number of other variety shows. When he co-hosted The Crash of MCs with Kang Ho-Dong, Lee Hui-Jae, and Kim Han-Suk, he demonstrated his full potential.

His first Grand Prix was for a show called Happy Together Friends, in which TV stars strive to locate their high school friends (five of them) among the many (fake friends) seated behind the desk. The show was immensely successful since it reminded viewers of their school days. This Grand Prix stands significant not just because it was Yoo Jae-first, Suk's but also because of the broadcasting system on which he made his debut. He presented the television series X-Man, which quickly became one of Korea's most popular shows. During that time, he got a lot of popularity, and several shows started calling him "MC of the Nation." However, after a few years of continuous airing, the program was canceled due to low ratings and a lack of new ideas, and Yoo Jae-Suk went on to host its replacement shows for SBS, New X-Man, Old TV (in which guests would reenact classic TV series), and Haja! Go! (Let's Do It), all of which were quickly canceled due to low Sunday evening ratings. X-Man, on the other hand, has found international syndication success.

• Born: 14 August 1972 (age 49)Seoul, South Korea
• Education: Seoul Institute of the Arts
• Years active: 1991–present
• Agent: Antenna
• Medium: Stand-up, television
• Genres: Observational, sketch, wit, parody, slapstick