K-pop group TWS (TourS) has taken the top spot in the December 2024 brand reputation rankings for new idol groups, showcasing their rising popularity.

On December 3, the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute announced the results of their big data analysis for new idol groups’ brand reputation. TWS secured 1st place, followed by QWER in 2nd and ILLIT in 3rd. BabyMonster and RIIZE rounded out the top five in 4th and 5th place.

For this analysis, the institute gathered 13,798,063 pieces of brand big data from November 3 to December 3, 2024. Compared to the previous month, this was a 6.15% drop in data volume, which stood at 14,701,590 in November.

The brand reputation index was determined through big data, evaluating factors like positive and negative public sentiment, media attention, consumer interest, and online communication. The institute also analyzed participation, media, communication, and community indices for new idol groups that debuted after 2023.

The rankings of new idol groups included both boy and girl groups. The top 30 for December 2024 were:

1. TWS
2. QWER
3. ILLIT
4. BabyMonster
5. RIIZE
6. TripleS
7. MEOVV
8. IZNA
9. ZEROBASEONE
10. BoyNextDoor
11. KISS OF LIFE
12. Katseye
13. SayMyName
14. UNIS
15. YoungPsy
16. NOW OR NEVER
17. CandyShop
18. Burberry
19. Recene
20. The Wind
21. Artemis
22. BadVillain
23. BigOcean
24. NEXZI
25. OddUs
26. NIZU
27. Horizon
28. Genius
29. Fantasy Boys
30. 8TURN

TWS (ShinYu, DoHoon, YoungJae, HanJin, JiHoon, KyungMin) led with a brand reputation score of 1,960,986, a 41.29% increase from November. They scored high in participation (173,852), media (228,317), communication (823,646), and community (735,172).

QWER (ChoDan, Magenta, Hina, SiYeon) came in 2nd with a brand reputation score of 1,545,693, seeing a 23.27% rise from their previous score. ILLIT (Yuna, MinJoo, Mocha, WonHee, Iroha) placed 3rd with a score of 1,447,686, a 37.86% increase.

Meanwhile, BabyMonster and RIIZE saw slight decreases in their brand reputation scores compared to last month, with Baby Monster scoring 1,139,952 and Rise earning 867,083.

CEO of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, Goo ChangHwan, commented, “In the December 2024 rankings, TourS topped the list for new idol group brand reputation.” He noted that TourS received high marks for keywords like “cute,” “warm,” and “heart-fluttering,” with an impressive positive-to-negative sentiment ratio of 91.86%.

The December analysis included many other rising idol groups such as TripleS, MEOVV, IZNA, and more, reflecting the growing interest in the new K-pop generation.

Source (1)

IU recently revealed that she watched her own concert film in a public theater, but shockingly, no one recognized her—even when she dropped a hint!

On February 27, a new video featuring IU was released, showing her inside a car on her way to Daejeon.

She excitedly shared, “This is a surprise stage greeting for UAENA! I picked this location through a ladder game when I did stage greetings.”

Previously, IU had let fate decide which city she would visit after her stage greetings. She happily said, “There are UAENAs everywhere I go. Wherever I go, it's a flowery path.” The game ultimately led her to Daejeon.

IU originally hoped to explore the city, saying, “I wanted to visit Daejeon's pride, Sung Sim Dang, and walk around, but my team said it wouldn’t be possible. The lines are too long, and it’s freezing outside.” She sighed, adding, “So, things turned out this way.”

Dressed up for the occasion, IU smiled, saying, “I don’t get to meet UAENAs in Daejeon often, so I wanted to make a surprise appearance looking my best.”

She also joked about enjoying surprise events, adding, “As long as Hanteo oppa drives me safely, I’m happy.”

But what really caught fans' attention was IU’s unexpected confession—she had secretly watched her concert film in a theater, but no one noticed her! “No one recognized me at all. There weren’t that many people, and it was a weekday… but still! I even gave a hint!” she said, sounding both amused and surprised.

Later, when IU finally appeared at the theater, her fans were overwhelmed with emotion. Some even burst into tears, prompting her to gently say, “You really didn’t expect me to come, right?”

After wrapping up her stage greeting, IU laughed at herself, saying, “Wait, did I just do a 40-minute one-woman show? I must have talked so much.”

On her way back to Seoul, IU reflected on the day, sharing, “It was so cold today. I shook hands with all the UAENAs. My hands are usually cold, and since the weather was freezing, I think I made a lot of people’s hands cold, too. But after touching so many warm hands, mine became warm, too. I still haven’t washed them.”

Her love for her fans truly knows no bounds!

Source: [1]