Recently, the long-standing newspaper Starnews conducted a survey to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Research company Gallup Korea carried out the survey, interviewing 1,052 men and women aged 19 to 69 across the country from the 19th to the 23rd. According to the results, some of the most promising names in both singing and acting, as voted by the public, were announced.
Topping the list is singer and actress IU, with 31% of the votes. IU debuted as a solo singer in 2008 and made her acting debut in the drama “Dream High” in 2010. With 16 years in the industry, she has found great success in both fields, with notable albums like “Love Poem”, “Palette”, and leading roles in hit dramas such as “Moon Lovers”, “Hotel Del Luna”, and “My Ahjussi”. Through her many achievements, IU has solidified her name by receiving prestigious awards like Digital Daesang/Song of the Year at the Golden Disc Awards (2018), Best New Actress at the KBS Drama Awards (2013), and nominations for major awards like the Baeksang Arts Awards and Korea Drama Awards. Besides her beauty and fame, IU also owns a fortune of over 50 billion won (approximately 37 million USD). In 2021, the South China Morning Post reported that IU is the richest female K-pop artist in the entertainment industry.
Ranked 2nd is singer and actress Lim YoonA, with 23% of the votes. A member of the legendary girl group Girls’ Generation, YoonA began acting in 2012. She has since starred in numerous famous dramas such as “Love Rain”, “The K2”, “Big Mouth”, and “King the Land”.
The list also includes younger faces, such as ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo, who received 23% of the votes and ranks 3rd. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo ranked 8th with 9% of the votes. Additionally, notable figures praised by industry experts, such as EXO’s D.O., ranked 5th with 17% of the votes.
Here’s the list of the top 10 most versatile actors/actresses in Korea:
1. IU – 31%
2. Girls’ Generation’s YoonA – 23%
2. ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo – 23%
4. Apink’s Eun-ji – 18%
5. EXO’s D.O. – 17%
6. 2PM’s Junho – 15%
7. Lim Young-woong – 11%
8. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo – 9%
9. Kwon Eun-bi – 8%
10. Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung – 7%
Source: K14
