The December brand reputation rankings for drama actors are out via the Korean Business Research Institute and, as a big fan of South Korean actor Jung Woo Sung, you can bet his name was the first one I searched for on that list.
Especially as, with the enormous success of his latest movie 12.12: The Day (most successful movie of the year in South Korea), and with his drama Tell Me That You Love Me being talked about by viewers as one of the best of 2023 (it is!), it would have been a shock not to find his name there.
Interestingly, not only did Jung Woo Sung make it into the actor brand reputation rankings, he also hit the Top 10, making it to #7.
A damned good achievement considering he is on the older end of the spectrum of actors who also made the list.
That ranking put him just behind Bae In Hyuk at #6 (currently starring in The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract), Song Kang at #5 (starring in My Demon), Cha Eun Woo at #4 (A Good Day to Be a Dog), Chae Jong Hyeop at #3 (Castaway Diva), Kim Yoo Jung at #2 (My Demon) and Park Eun Bin at #1 (Castaway Diva).
To finish out the Top 10, Lee Se Young is at #8 (The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract), Byeon Woo Seok is at #9 (Strong Girl Namsoon), and Shin Hye Sun (Welcome to Samdalri) is at #10.
Thoughts on Jung Woo Sung in the “brand reputation rankings”
Personally, I cannot say I am a big fan of the brand reputation rankings, as rating human beings based on how much they are worth in regards to advertising (which technically this is) is, in my opinion, a little distasteful.
Then again, I am not into popularity contests either.
I am also not Korean, it isn’t my culture, and it doesn’t personally affect me as to which actor is higher up a ranking chart than another. So who am I to judge.
It does, however, affect the actor themselves as the higher up a brand reputation ranking they get, the more opportunities open to them.
As Jung Woo Sung has said several times, the more successful an actor is, the more influence they often have over the way other people think.
And, because of that, Jung Woo Sung seems to take that responsibility very seriously by choosing to talk about things that others may not.
Hence, his work for many years bringing attention to the plight of the world’s refugees via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as Korea’s National Goodwill Ambassador.
Work that has had Jung Woo Sung travel to places like South Sudan, Iraq, Bangladesh and Lebanon, to see the work UNHCR does, and to advocate for the refugees living there. (see video below for his comments about the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh)
The actor has also been very generous in donating large amounts of money to a number of charitable causes within South Korea over the years.
As someone who grew up very poor in South Korea, and who left high school early so he could work to help support his family, he also knows what it is like to struggle and, thus, seems to work as hard at the non-profit side of his life as he does with his acting.
In other words, if actors are going to be placed in a brand reputation ranking in order to afford more opportunities to those higher up the ranking than others, all I can say is I am happy Jung Woo Sung is one of those who has earned that opportunity.
Where to watch Jung Woo Sung’s performances
You can watch Jung Woo Sung in his current drama series Tell Me That You Love Me (difficult to find in most regions outside South Korea, but not impossible — and can we please all lobby Netflix to get them to stream it?), and in the film 12.12: The Day, which is currently showing in movie theaters in Korea.
You can also see him on Viki in various dramas and films, including Delayed Justice, Beasts Clawing at Straws, and Padam Padam.