IVE is proving their power once again! The group has officially claimed the No. 1 spot in the March girl group brand reputation rankings, leaving BLACKPINK and aespa behind.

On March 9, the Korean Business Research Institute released its March 2025 brand reputation rankings for girl groups, and IVE took the top position. BLACKPINK followed at No. 2, while aespa came in at No. 3. TWICE and (G)I-DLE rounded out the top five at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

IVE members Ahn Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Jang Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo secured a brand reputation index of 6,213,599, marking a 5.26% increase from their February ranking.

Their strong results come from a participation index of 353,600, media index of 1,055,659, communication index of 1,719,917, and community index of 3,084,423.

Meanwhile, the overall girl group brand reputation data saw a 10.36% decrease compared to February, with total data points dropping from 56,077,037 to 50,265,719.

Koo Chang-hwan, director of the Korean Business Research Institute, shared insights into IVE’s ranking:

"In the March 2025 girl group brand analysis, IVE ranked No. 1. Their key link analysis keywords were ‘record, dominate, and surpass,’ while ‘Rebel Heart, attitude, and IVE Empathy’ were major search terms. The positive-to-negative ratio showed an overwhelming 93.98% positive sentiment."

1. IVE
2. BLACKPINK
3. aespa
4. TWICE
5. (G)I-DLE
6. Red Velvet
7. Oh My Girl
8. Kiki
9. fromis_9
10. H1-KEY
11. ITZY
12. BABYMONSTER
13. Apink
14. LE SSERAFIM
15. WJSN
16. FIFTY FIFTY
17. ILLIT
18. H1-KEY
19. MAMAMOO
20. tripleS
21. Dreamcatcher
22. cignature
23. Kep1er
24. ISNA
25. Brave Girls
26. Girl’s Day
27. KISS OF LIFE
28. KATSEYE
29. UNIS
30. MIYAO

With IVE continuing their unstoppable run, will they keep the No. 1 spot in April? Stay tuned.

Source (1)

Actor Sung Hoon shocked everyone when he revealed that his ex-girlfriends weren’t impressed with his kissing skills!

On the March 9 episode of SBS’s My Little Old Boy, Sung Hoon appeared as a guest, and the conversation quickly turned to his famous underwater kiss scenes.

Seo Jang Hoon brought up the topic, saying, “Since Sung Hoon used to be a swimmer, he’s had a lot of underwater kiss scenes in his projects,” before playing a steamy clip. As the scene played on screen, Sung Hoon’s face turned red from embarrassment.

Then, Seo Jang Hoon asked the unexpected question: “You kiss so well in scenes like that, but I heard that in real life, your girlfriends have said you’re a terrible kisser. Is that true?”

Caught off guard, Sung Hoon quickly denied it, saying, “I wouldn’t say I’m that bad…” But when Shin Dong Yeop pressed further, asking, “So you’ve actually been told that before?”

Sung Hoon finally admitted, “Yeah, one of my girlfriends at the time said that. But why did she say that?”

The My Little Old Boy panelists and mothers watching speculated that maybe his flawless on-screen kiss scenes had set expectations too high for his real-life kisses.

Seo Jang Hoon then joked that since the ex-girlfriend had acting experience, she might have been comparing him to other actors—suggesting she could be an actress.

Meanwhile, Shin Dong Yeop playfully added, “Or maybe she was a singer?” making everyone burst into laughter.

What do you think? Could Sung Hoon really be a bad kisser, or were his exes just expecting too much? ?

Source: [1]