BTS’s Jimin is back on top of the idol brand rankings again. The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute (KCRRI) named him No. 1 on the January 2026 Idol Individual Brand Reputation Rankings released on January 21, 2026.
And this one comes with a record attached. Jimin has now held the No. 1 spot for 31 consecutive months, a run that’s hard to match in any category. For January, his brand reputation index landed at 8,780,962.
Rounding out the top three, BLACKPINK’s Jennie took No. 2 and IVE’s Jang Wonyoung came in at No. 3, matching the widely shared standings seen in early coverage.
The official numbers and how the ranking is built
KCRRI says it analyzed big data collected from December 22, 2025 to January 22, 2026 across 1,730 idols’ individual brands. The dataset totaled 160,367,806 points, up 4.05% from December’s 154,132,208.
The brand reputation index is built from four parts: consumer participation, media, communication, and community. So it’s not a music chart, and it’s not a sales tally. It’s a snapshot of online attention and discussion during the tracking period.
Jimin holds double milestone: overall + boy group streaks
The headline is the 31-month run on the overall idol individual ranking. But Jimin also extended another long streak: 35 consecutive months at No. 1 in the individual boy group category.
That’s what makes the result feel bigger than a one-off spike. The index rewards sustained visibility, including steady mentions, steady engagement, and steady conversation.
Why it stand out even without nonstop promotions
What’s striking is the timing. Even without constant new solo activity, Jimin’s name keeps circulating in the places this ranking measures most: media coverage, community chatter, and fan-driven content. Fans also point to the long tail of his 2024 solo era as part of the story.
Jimin vs. Jennie: what the top-two finish suggests
With Jimin at No. 1 and Jennie at No. 2, January’s list puts two of K-pop’s strongest “brand names” right at the top. Not so much a rivalry as a reminder: both artists reliably dominate headlines, trends, and comment sections.
One note of caution, though. The research provided here confirms Jimin’s 31-month No. 1 streak, but it doesn’t support separate claims floating around online about Jennie holding No. 1 for 35 months on this same individual list. So that should be treated as unverified in this context.
