A separate question found that 80 percent considered avoiding serious public misconduct essential, compared with 72 percent for outstanding acting ability.
Lee Byung-hun was the most frequently named actor in a new survey asking South Korean adults who best represents the country’s acting profession, leading a field that included Choi Min-sik, Song Kang-ho and Kim Hye-soo. Released by Hankook Research on October 28, the findings also reveal how strongly respondents connect that representative status with expectations about conduct beyond the screen.
The survey asked 1,000 adults to name up to three actors without choosing from a supplied list, with 22 percent mentioning Lee. In a separate assessment of the qualities a representative actor should possess, avoiding behavior that causes serious public controversy received the highest share of “essential” responses, ahead of outstanding acting ability, although respondents were not required to choose between the two.
Lee Byung-hun Leads, With Kim Hye-soo Highest Among Women
Lee’s 22 percent result placed him ahead of Choi Min-sik at 18 percent and Song Kang-ho at 15 percent. Kim Hye-soo followed with 13 percent, the highest figure among female actors, while Hwang Jung-min received 11 percent and Yoo Hae-jin 10 percent. Lee Jung-jae and Choi Bool-am were each named by 9 percent.
The wording of the question is important to understanding those results: participants were asked who represents Korea, rather than whom they personally like most or regard as the strongest performer. With no names offered as prompts, respondents had to supply their own choices, and the opportunity to name three people means the percentages are not shares of a single-choice vote.
The ranking consequently captures recognition as a representative figure rather than a definitive assessment of artistic ability. It also should not be treated as an individual morality ranking, since the question about desirable qualities was asked separately from the naming exercise.
Avoiding Public Misconduct Receives the Highest ‘Essential’ Rating
Respondents evaluated 28 characteristics associated with actors, including professional achievements, personal conduct and public behavior. The most widely identified requirement was avoiding conduct that creates serious social controversy, with examples including drunk driving, drug offenses and school violence; 80 percent said this was something a representative actor must possess.
Outstanding acting ability received an essential rating from 72 percent, leaving an eight-percentage-point difference between the two items. Sound historical awareness and a humble, courteous attitude each received 65 percent, while 61 percent considered an unproblematic private life essential and 55 percent said an actor should have a signature work associated with their name.
Those responses broaden the picture of what “representing Korea” means to the people surveyed. Alongside the ability to deliver a performance, many respondents attached importance to how an actor behaves publicly and treats others, making conduct part of the expectations surrounding the role.
The Survey Did Not Ask People to Choose Morality Over Talent
The difference between the 80 percent and 72 percent figures does not mean respondents were offered a choice between good conduct and strong acting. Each characteristic was assessed independently, allowing the same person to describe both as essential.
That becomes particularly clear when the broader positive responses are included. Combining those who considered a quality essential with those who thought it desirable brought both avoiding public misconduct and outstanding acting ability to 97 percent.
Hankook Research interpreted the findings as an expectation that representative actors combine the qualities of a responsible public figure with those of a skilled performer. The distinction between “essential” and “desirable” therefore explains more of the gap than a claim that audiences have stopped caring about acting.
How the Research Was Conducted
The survey took place from August 21 to 24 among 1,000 adults aged 18 and older across South Korea, with the results published in October. It was conducted online using Hankook Research’s survey panel, and the responses were weighted by region, gender and age.
The results provide a snapshot of the people and qualities respondents associated with representing the country’s acting profession during that period. They are not a measure of ticket sales, viewing figures or an awards jury’s judgment, and their meaning rests on the specific questions asked.
Editor’s Note: Hankook Research cautions that this study should not be directly compared with actor-preference polls or brand-reputation rankings because their questions and methods differ. Its online panel also used proportional quotas by region, gender and age, so any reported sampling-error figure based on an assumption of random sampling should be read with that qualification.