In the September 2025 actor brand reputation results, actor Lee Chae-min, who has been active across drama, film and OTT platforms, proudly took first place. Second was Lee Byung-hun, and third was Choo Young-Woo, showing fierce competition between veteran actors and rising stars.
According to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, after analyzing about 144.86 million pieces of brand big data for 100 actors from Aug. 23 to Sept. 23, 2025, Lee Chae-min topped the list with a brand reputation index of 4,518,517 points. This figure is higher than Lee Byung-hun's (3,668,126 points) and Choo Young-Woo's (3,457,273 points). The institute explained the background, saying "Lee Chae-min drew overwhelming consumer interest by showing meticulous emotional acting in Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."
What is especially striking is Lee Chae-min's "rags-to-riches drama"-like story. When Park Sung-hoon, who had originally been chosen for the male lead, withdrew amid controversy, the person urgently brought in with almost no preparation time was Lee Chae-min. Although his acting career was relatively short and there were concerns, he exceeded expectations by perfectly switching between the tyrant's madness and the innocent delight when tasting delicious food, instantly captivating viewers. Turning a crisis into an opportunity, he even earned the nickname "acting monster."
As a result, the drama continued its high ratings. The 10th episode recorded an average of 15.9% and a peak of 17.6% in the Seoul metropolitan area, and an average of 15.8% and a peak of 17.3% nationwide (Nielsen Korea), ranking first among all channels in the same time slot and setting the highest ratings for a miniseries this year. It also ranked first in Netflix global top 10 (non-English TV), further proving the status of K-drama.
Making the most of a sudden opportunity, Lee Chae-min is using Bon Appetit, Your Majesty as a springboard to open a new heyday in his acting career. Netizens who learned the news responded explosively, saying, "He was thrown in raw and if this is the result, he's a genius actor," "It's amazing that he ranked first ahead of strong seniors like Lee Byung-hun and Ma Dong-seok," "The contrast between his acting and his variety show interviews is so appealing," and "I'm already looking forward to his next work."
Meanwhile, among the top 30 in this actor brand reputation ranking, Korea's representative actors such as Lee Chae-min, Lee Byung-hun, Choo Young-Woo, Lee Jin-wook, Ma Dong-seok, Gong Myoung, Jang Dong-yoon, Uhm Jung-hwa, Song Joong-ki and Lee Young-ae were listed in large numbers, demonstrating a solid presence.
[Photo] OSEN DB,
[OSEN]