Top-ranked local government heads in the K-Brand Index's Gangwon Province category [Asia Brand Research Institute]
Top-ranked local government heads in the K-Brand Index's Gangwon Province category [Asia Brand Research Institute]

The Asia Brand Research Institute, a big data evaluation agency, released its K-Brand Index data Tuesday, naming Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam the top-ranked local government head in Gangwon Province.

The heads of Gangneung, Sokcho, Chuncheon, Wonju, Taebaek, Hongcheon-gun, Cheorwon-gun and Donghae ranked in the upper tier, while the chiefs of Pyeongchang-gun and Samcheok placed in the middle and the remaining county heads fell in the lower tier.

The K-Brand Index measures public perception and response from multiple angles using online big data. It draws on digital data generated organically in everyday life — including search activity, content consumption, and positive and negative reactions.

The primary sources of information in cyberspace are mass media outlets covering local news, posts by residents, and online and mobile content from visitors. That content is then amplified across countless secondary and tertiary channels. Local government heads who rarely appear in major national media and rely heavily on regional outlets are structurally disadvantaged in the index.

In some cities and counties, public relations staff with backgrounds in local journalism often fail to share coverage from outside regional outlets with civic and opinion leaders — or even with the heads of their own organizations.

When that happens, a mayor's or county chief's brand value becomes trapped within a narrow local bubble, making it nearly impossible for the general public, the central government, business and industry, the National Assembly, or national party organizations to take notice.

This edition of the K-Brand Index for Gangwon Province local government heads covers the 18 basic local government heads of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and is based on an analysis of 1,656,400 online big data entries collected from July 1 to July 31, 2026.

Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam topped the rankings, followed by Sokcho Mayor Lee Byung-sun (2nd), Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han (3rd), Wonju Mayor Gu Ja-yeol (4th), Taebaek Mayor Lee Sang-ho (5th), Hongcheon-gun Chief Shin Young-jae (6th), Cheorwon-gun Chief Kim Dong-il (7th) and Donghae Mayor Lee Jeong-hak (8th).

Among the 18 cities and counties, Pyeongchang-gun Chief Sim Jae-guk placed 9th and Samcheok Mayor Park Sang-su placed 10th, both landing in the middle tier.

The remaining county heads — from Goseong, Yanggu, Yangyang, Yeongwol, Inje, Jeongseon, Pyeongchang and Hwacheon-gun, listed in Korean alphabetical order — ranked in the lower tier. The institute attributed this to shortcomings in outreach strategies and the relatively limited online attention that smaller counties tend to attract.

Where a city with considerable municipal strength still finds its mayor stuck in the middle of the rankings, the institute said this points to overly insular promotional channels.

The top 10 local government heads among 18 basic local authorities in Gangwon Province, as ranked by the K-Brand Index [Asia Brand Research Institute]
The top 10 local government heads among 18 basic local authorities in Gangwon Province, as ranked by the K-Brand Index [Asia Brand Research Institute]

Han Jeong-geun, head of the Asia Brand Research Institute, said the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province category is shaped by wide disparities in economic structure and living conditions across cities and counties — spanning tourism and leisure, coastal, border, former coal-mining and rural areas — meaning tailored administrative capacity drives brand competitiveness. He added that a clear pattern has emerged in which local leaders' administrative activities translate into online attention and public evaluation as they work to address each area's future challenges, including attracting tourists, growing the resident population and managing industrial transitions.

The K-Brand Index figures for Gangwon Province local government heads reflect online data only and do not incorporate offline metrics. Detailed index information and in-depth analysis are available on the institute's official website and Instagram.

The K-Brand Index is a big data evaluation system developed by the Asia Brand Research Institute in collaboration with domestic and international researchers. It is calculated as a composite score using weighted-neutral criteria across category-specific sub-indexes — including Trend, Media, Social, Positive, Negative, Total Activation, Community and AI indexes.

Meanwhile, the Asia Brand Research Institute, founded in 2016, presents its "K-Brand Grand Prize" annually based on big data evaluation scores for major companies and individuals.


abc@heraldcorp.com