BTS Leads July Idol Group Brand Reputation Rankings as RESCENE and TWICE Rise

BTS remained at No. 1 in the July idol group brand reputation rankings, extending the group’s hold over one of South Korea’s most-watched monthly indicators of public attention around K-pop teams.

The Korean Business Research Institute released the latest list after reviewing big data collected from June 15 to July 15. The ranking measures several areas of public visibility, including consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness. While the numbers do not function as a direct sales chart, they are closely followed because they capture how often a group is being discussed, searched, covered, and engaged with across the Korean entertainment landscape.

BTS topped the July table with a brand reputation index of 6,518,675. The group’s keyword analysis included phrases connected to its fandom and international activity, such as ARMY, a London concert, and world tour-related attention. The institute also noted high-ranking related terms such as collaborate, record, and create, pointing to sustained interest in both the group’s legacy and its current public activity.

BTS Stays Ahead In A Competitive Field

The group’s positivity-negativity analysis was also notable, with the institute reporting 92.57 percent positive reactions. That figure suggests that BTS’s continued visibility is being driven not only by volume but also by broadly favorable conversation, an important distinction in a ranking system that reflects public discourse rather than a single commercial metric.

CORTIS held second place with a brand reputation index of 5,409,892, keeping the group within striking distance of the top position. I.O.I followed at No. 3 with 5,214,323, giving the upper tier of the list a tight competitive shape. The presence of both long-established and newer or re-emerging names in the top rankings reflects the unusual pace of K-pop attention, where nostalgia, current promotions, and social media activity can all affect visibility at the same time.

RESCENE placed fourth with an index of 5,014,734 and recorded one of the more eye-catching movements among the leading groups. According to the institute’s figures, the group rose 18.40 percent from June. That increase gives RESCENE a stronger position in the public conversation and adds context to the group’s recent momentum, especially as smaller and mid-sized agency acts continue to look for durable recognition beyond short promotional cycles.

TWICE Returns To The Top Five

TWICE completed the top five with a brand reputation index of 3,866,983, up 36.38 percent from the previous month. The size of that increase is significant because TWICE is already one of K-pop’s most established girl groups; a month-to-month rise of that scale indicates renewed attention rather than simple name recognition. For veteran groups, brand reputation gains often point to a combination of fandom activity, media coverage, and broader public familiarity.

The rest of the top 10 also showed the depth of competition across the industry. SEVENTEEN ranked sixth, followed by BLACKPINK, ILLIT, IVE, and aespa. Together, those placements show how the current field is being shaped by major third-generation names, powerful fourth-generation performers, and newer groups still building their identities with the public.

Outside the top 10, the list continued with NCT, BIGBANG, ATEEZ, Red Velvet, OH MY GIRL, MONSTA X, EXO, Wanna One, i-dle, and TWS from No. 11 through No. 20. The final third of the top 30 included KiiiKiii, HIGHLIGHT, BTOB, Stray Kids, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, SHINee, Super Junior, fromis_9, and Apink.

Brand reputation rankings can shift quickly, especially when groups enter comeback periods, announce tours, appear in major broadcasts, or become the focus of viral discussion. July’s results nevertheless underline a familiar pattern: BTS remains an unusually powerful benchmark for K-pop visibility, while the surrounding field is increasingly crowded with groups capable of sharp monthly gains.

For fans and industry watchers, the July list is less a final verdict than a snapshot of where public attention stood during a specific four-week window. It shows BTS maintaining a lead, CORTIS and I.O.I holding strong positions near the top, RESCENE gaining measurable momentum, and TWICE demonstrating that established acts can still produce major brand growth when activity and audience attention align.