CORTIS's Keonho has beat out ILLIT's Wonhee and Hearts2Hearts' Ian, topping the idol brand reputation rankings.
According to the October 2025 big data analysis of the individual brand reputation for rookie idols, CORTIS’s Keonho ranked in first place. ILLIT's Wonhee came in second place, followed by Hearts2Hearts member Ian.
Despite being active for less than two months, Keonho managed to surpass well-established competing idols such as Wonhee, who debuted in March last year, and Ian, who debuted in February.
The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute released the October 2025 big data analysis results of rookie idol individual brands on the 3rd of this month. To analyze the brand reputation of rookie idols, the institute collected 4,282,272 pieces of big data from rookie idol group brands between September 3 and October 3.
The rookie idol group's brand reputation was measured by combining both girl groups and boy groups, analyzing consumer participation, media coverage, communication, and community indices to calculate the brand reputation index.
Top Rookie Brand Rankings
CORTIS’s Keonho led the rankings with a participation index of 99,531, media index of 92,770, communication index of 126,664, and community index of 65,095, totaling a brand reputation index of 384,060.
ILLIT’s Wonhee followed in second with a participation index of 47,223, media index of 33,455, communication index of 142,083, and community index of 134,698, totaling a brand reputation index of 357,459.
Hearts2Hearts' Ian ranked third with a participation index of 64,310, media index of 40,287, communication index of 55,649, and community index of 85,203, totaling a brand reputation index of 245,449.
The full top 30 Ranking is as follows:
- CORTIS's Keonho
- ILLIT's Wonhee
- Hearts2Hearts' Ian
- ILLIT's Minju
- CORTIS's Juhoon
- KiiiKiii's Jiyu
- Hearts2Hearts' Jiwoo
- KiiiKiii's Leesol
- MEOVV's Anna Tanaka
- CORTIS' Martin
- ILLIT's Moka
- CORTIS' Seonghyeon
- TWS's Shinyu
- izna's Jungeun
- ILLIT's Yunah
- izna's Bang Jeemin
- KiiiKiii's Haum
- TWS's Dohoon
- Hearts2Hearts's Yuha
- Hearts2Heart's Ana
- ILLIT's Iroha
- Hearts2Hearts' Carmen
- Hearts2Hearts' Stella
- CORTIS's James
- izna's Mai
- KATSEYE's Yoonchae
- izna's Yoon Jiyoon
- BABYMONSTER's Ahyeon
- Hearts2Hearts' Yeon
- MEOVV's Ella Gross
Koo Chang Hwan, director of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, stated, “CORTIS’s Keonho brand ranked first in the October 2025 rookie idol individual brand reputation. When comparing this month’s 4,282,272 big data points to September’s 4,774,261, there was a 10.31% decrease.” He added, “A detailed breakdown shows brand consumption dropped by 16.49%, brand issues by 17.05%, brand communication by 6.81%, and brand diffusion by 2.27%.”
Furthermore, “In the link analysis of CORTIS’ Gunho, keywords like ‘handsome,’ ‘cute,’ and ‘charming’ scored highly, while keyword analysis highlighted ‘CORTIS,’ ‘What You Want,’ and ‘GO.’ Positive sentiment analysis showed an 87.03% positivity rate.”
The brand reputation index is a metric developed from big data analysis, showing how consumers’ online behaviors significantly impact brand engagement. The analysis measures positive and negative evaluations, media attention, consumer interest, and communication for idol group brands, and also includes qualitative assessments by the Brand Reputation Monitor.
CORTIS’s First Steps
Big Hit Music under HYBE Labels introduced a new boy group, CORTIS, their first in six years. According to the official website, the name comes from the phrase “COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES,” symbolizing breaking conventions and discovering one’s own color. The five members—Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho—are described as a “collaborative creative idol group,” participating across music, choreography, and video production.
CORTIS debuted on August 18 with the digital single 'What You Want,' marking their first step into the music scene. They followed up on September 8 with their first EP, 'Color Outside the Lines,' officially launching their activities.
Among them, Keonho, the youngest member, has drawn attention since his debut. Born in 2009, he is known for mature stage presence and solid performance skills that energize the group.
SEE ALSO: CORTIS surprises at Son Heung Min’s home ground as honorary falconer
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