Actor Park Ji-hoon has been ranked number 1 in the actor category of the K-Brand Index for the first half of 2026. The Asia Brand Research Institute announced the results on the 30th, analyzing over 3.14 billion pieces of online big data from January 1 to May 31 among the top 30 most searched individuals on major portals. Park Ji-hoon captivated over 16.9 million viewers with his role as King Danjong in the film 'The Man Living with the King,' sparking the 'Danjong Syndrome' trend. Additionally, he made a comeback as a singer and successfully promoted the drama 'The Legend of Chuksa Byeong,' achieving dual success as both an actor and musician. The top 10 includes Byeon Woo-seok (2nd), Gu Kyo-hwan (3rd), IU (4th), Ko Yoon-jung (5th), Kim Mu-yeol (6th), Suzy (7th), Park Bo-gum (8th), Jeon Ji-hyun (9th), and Heo Nam-jun (10th). An official from the Asia Brand Research Institute stated that "Park Ji-hoon's top ranking is a result of the balanced combination of excellent work activities, fandom, and public interest," and explained that "recent public evaluation of actors has evolved beyond box office success to comprehensively consider project selection, character execution, and global competitiveness."