Whether its Korean corporations or Chinese readers who pick, “Descendants of the Sun” actor Song Joong-ki is certainly included in the list. Brand power ranking of top 23 Korean CF models in June, made by the Korea Institute of Corporate Reputation, had the 30-year-old actor as number 1.
On Tuesday, two of the largest newspapers in China released the result of its voting who are the influential figures when it comes to South Korean 2016 Brand Grand Prize winners, reported Soompi. Chinese readers cast their votes online or using their mobile phones from a list of candidates pre-selected based on recent surveys.
Naver TV identified the two Chinese newspapers as People’s Daily and People’s Network. The voting covered 14 days.
About 189,000 Chinese readers cast almost 803,000 votes, the large number explained by multiple votes. The top 10 Korean celebrities that Chinese readers love the most are: Song Joong-ki, Lee Min Ho, Kim Soo Hyun EXO, Song Hye Kyo Hwang Chi Yeol, Park Hae Jin, Jun Ju Hyun, Park Bo Gum and BIGBANG.
The two Songs and Hwang Chi Yeol were new additions to the list, while the seven others were included in the 2015 list, with Park Hae Jin and Park Bo Gum strengthening their images as well-loved Hallyu stars.
The forum’s representative explained that the 10 Korean Hallyu icons get much love and interest from Chinese fans because of the superior performance and content of Korean pop culture.