Girls’ Generation has been named Korea’s top ‘Power Celebrity’ for the second consecutive year.

In celebration of Forbes Korea’s 9th anniversary of founding, the result of the ‘Korea’s Power Celebrity 40′ was announced. Out of more than 100 famous figures in Korea, Forbes Korea announced the top 40 celebrities who are shortlisted based on income, influence, reputation and expertise. The benchmark for selection is similar to US Forbes ‘Celebrity 100′.

Girls’ Generation who topped the celebrity survey last year has obtained 1st and 2nd spot in the main selection criteria such as number of published articles, TV advertisements and broadcast activities. Last year alone, Girls’ Generations have participated in a total of 36 TV commercials. Their 3rd album ‘The Boys’ which was released in October last year had recorded sales of more than 380,000 copies.

The spotlight of this year’s result is the inclusion of many Kpop idols within the top 20 spots where 10 spots were occupied by them. Besides Girls’ Generation who took the top spot, other Kpop stars included in the top 20 spots are Big Bang, IU, Kara, Beast, 2PM, JYJ, TVXQ, Super Junior and T-ara. The breakthrough by the artists in the ‘Power Celebrity’ list shows the huge influence of the Kpop fever. Last year, fans from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and other parts of the world had performed flash mobs and cover dances in their efforts to request for Kpop artists’ performance in their respective areas.

Other than Girls’ Generation, the celebrities who are still within top 10 this year (comparison made to last year’s list) are Kim YunA, Lee SeungGi and Park JiSung. Kim YunA has the biggest media influence among all celebrities.

Credit: joongang.joinsmsn.com +  fanwonder.com