In celebration of their 9th year of establishment, Forbes Korea has reported this year's list of the top 40 'Power Celebrities', and Girls' Generation has topped the list for the second year in a row.

'Celebrity' refers to an individual who is widely known by the masses, and Forbes takes 40 of these celebrities and ranks them based on income, influence, fame, and professionalism.

This format is the same that Forbes in the United States uses for their 'Celebrity 100' list, and the list is reported on an annual basis.

Girls' Generation claimed the top two spots under the categories of most articles published, the highest number of television advertisements, TV appearances, and more. Additionally, the #1 celebrity most wanted by broadcasting companies is none other than Girls' Generation, and the girls shot 36 television advertisements last year alone, and their album 'The Boys' released late last year has sold over 380,000 copies.

The interesting thing to note about this year's list is that 10 of the top 20 celebrities are idol singers. Here's the breakdown of the idols in the top 20: Girls' Generation in at #1, Big Bang at # 2, IU at #3, KARA at #4, B2ST at #9, 2PM at #11, JYJ at #13, TVXQ at #15, Super Junior at #16, and T-ARA at #17. The reason why these idols have made the list is because they have played a huge part in spreading K-pop awareness all over the globe. Flash mobs from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and more began requesting performances from their favorite K-pop artists in their home countries, and cover-dance teams emulating K-pop choreographies have grown in number.

The only celebrities from last year's list who made it within the top 10 this year are Olympic Gold medalist figure skater Kim Yuna, actor/singer Lee Seung Gi, and Manchester United soccer player Park Ji Sung. Of all the celebrities, Kim Yuna has had the most media influence.

The list of Top 20 is as follows :

1.) Girls' Generation

2.) Big Bang

3.) IU

4.) KARA

5.) Kim Yuna (World Champion Figure Skater & Olympic Gold Medalist)

6.) Lee Seung Gi (Actor / Singer)

7.) Park Ji Sung (Midfielder for Manchester United & former Captain of Korean National Soccer Team)

8.) Kim Tae Hee (Actress / Model)

9.) B2ST

10.) Park Tae Hwan (Champion Swimmer & Olympic Gold Medalist)

11.) 2PM

12.) Kang Ho Dong (Comedian / MC)

13.) JYJ

14.) Shin Se Kyung (Actress)

15.) TVXQ

16.) Super Junior

17.) T-ARA

18.) Shin Soo Choo (Major League Baseball Player for Cleveland Indians, Silver at World Baseball Classic, Gold at Asian Games)

19.) Yoo Jae Suk (Comedian / MC)

20.) Lee Chung Yong (Footballer for Premier League club Bolton Wanderers)



Do you agree with the Forbes list?

Source & Image: JoongAng via Naver