Song Joong-Ki and Park Bo-Gum laugh during the fan meeting of the latter in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 11, 2017. (Photo : YouTube/Ruhi Le)
The full list for Forbes Korea's "2017 Power Celebrity 40" was revealed this week with actor Park Bo-Gum unsurprisingly taking the top spot. He snatches the No. 1 position from boy band EXO who held it for two years and now settle in at number four.
The Power Celebrity 40 of Forbes Korea, as cited by The JoongAng Daily, ranked celebrities based on their earnings, media exposure, broadcasting activities, and professionalism. Park shines in the categories not only for the tremendous fame he gained through KBS 2TV's "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds," but also from endorsing a wide range of brands in and outside South Korea
Song Joong-Ki zoomed to the second spot, thanks to the 16-episode drama "Descendants of the Sun." Kpop group TWICE landed the third spot with the success of their new album "Twicecoaster: Lane 2." Released on Feb. 20, the said album had topped iTunes top 20 music album charts in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
EXO, who was at number one in 2016, slipped to number four. Rounding out the top 10 are BTS, miss A's Bae Suzy, Song Hye-Kyo, Kim Yoo-Jung, Jo Jung-Suk and baseball pitcher Oh Seung-Hwan.
In other news, Bo-Gum has been offered the lead role in the upcoming film "Seo Bok," All Kpop reported. If he accepts the offer, he will play Seo Bok, a cloned human who possesses healing power.
The story of "Seo Bok" is based on the life of a Chinese historical figure Xu Fu, but told from a present day perspective. He was entrusted twice by the First Emperor of Qin to sail the world in search of the elixir of immortality. However, on his second voyage (210 BC), his ship mysteriously vanished like a phantom. Until this day, his whereabouts remains unknown.
While nothing is set in stone yet, the upcoming film reportedly has a production budget of 10 billion won ($8.8 million). It will be directed by Lee Yong-Joo, whose previous projects include the 2012 romance film "Architecture 101."
For now, check out Bo-Gum as Crown Prince Lee Yeong in KBS 2TV's "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds" here:
