Recently, long-running daily Starnews conducted a survey to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Research firm Gallup Korea conducted the survey, interviewing 1,052 men and women between the ages of 19 and 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 achieved great success in both fields, with notable albums such as “Love Poem”, “Palette” and starring roles in hit dramas such as “Moon Lovers”, “Hotel Del Luna”, and “My Ahjussi”. With her many hits, IU has cemented her name by receiving prestigious awards such as 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 such as the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Drama Awards. Aside from her beauty and fame, IU also has a fortune of over 50 billion won (approximately 37 million USD). In 2021, the South China Morning Post reported that IU is the richest K-pop artist in the entertainment industry.
In 2nd place 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. Since then, she has starred in numerous popular 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 ranked 3rd. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo ranked 8th with 9% of the votes. In addition, notable figures praised by industry experts, such as EXO’s DO, ranked 5th with 17% of the votes.
Here is the list of 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. Eun-ji from Apink – 18%
5. EXO DO – 17%
June 6th at 2:00 pm – 15%
7. Lim Young Woong – 11%
8. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo – 9%
9. Kwon Eun-bi – 8%
10. Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung – 7%
Source: K14
