Asia Brand Research Institute's August K-Brand Index
Lee Boo-jin reclaims No. 1, forming two-way race with Kim Jung-soo
The Asia Brand Research Institute, a big data evaluation agency, announced Tuesday that Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin topped the female CEO category of its August 2026 K-Brand Index.
The K-Brand Index is a big data system the institute developed in collaboration with domestic and international researchers. Unlike conventional big data analysis systems, it incorporates verification by a panel of field advisers at every stage, from candidate sampling to index selection.
The female CEO category was drawn from the top 30 female CEOs by portal-site search volume, with rankings based on analysis of about 7.44 million online big data entries collected from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, 2026.
Lee was followed by Kim Jung-soo of Samyang Foods, who slipped to second place after holding the top spot last month.
Rounding out the top 10 were Jung Yu-kyung of Shinsegae at No. 3, Choi Su-yeon of Naver at No. 4, Kim Yu-jin of Hanssem at No. 5, Kim Sun-hee of Maeil Dairies at No. 6, Lee Young-ju of Chilgap Nongsan at No. 7, Lee Hye-min of Finda at No. 8, Jung Shin-ah of Kakao at No. 9, and Lee Sun-jung of CJ Olive Young at No. 10.
Han Jeong-geun, head of the Asia Brand Research Institute, said August data showed Lee reclaiming the top position while Samyang Foods Chairman Kim Jung-soo held second, sustaining a two-way rivalry at the top. He said Lee Young-ju of Chilgap Nongsan's entry at No. 7 demonstrated her standing as a next-generation leader driving K-food. He added that the rise of Maeil Dairies Vice Chairwoman Kim Sun-hee and the new entry of CJ Olive Young CEO Lee Sun-jung reflect a broadening of how female CEOs are evaluated — shifting from company size and name recognition toward business capability and growth potential.
The female CEO category rankings are based solely on online index figures and do not reflect offline data. Detailed index information and further analysis are available on the institute's official website and Instagram.
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