In the criteria of the "Power Celebrity" ranking - 40 most powerful celebrities of Korea in 2026 - recently announced by Forbes Korea magazine, "yearly income" is the top and most important criterion.
Forbes Korea has statistically analyzed estimated income (before tax) for the period 2025-2026 of stars based on many clear sources of revenue such as digital music sales, concerts, appearances on broadcasts, acting in movies - television, annual salaries and advertising activities.
BTS is called the highest-earning star in Korea, estimated at 334 billion won, just a few months after this group officially reappeared with a full 7-member lineup (Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, Jungkook) in March 2026 with the studio album "Arirang".
This figure includes a huge advance payment from the new album, and incentives arising from renewing contracts with global distribution partners.
Added to that is the profit for artists from the first 9 shows of the "BTS World Tour Arirang", starting from April 9, 2026, at Goyang Stadium (Korea).
The tour is expected to last until March 2027, passing through 34 cities in 23 countries with a total of 79 (possibly expanded to 85 performances) stadium scale.
Besides music, another huge source of revenue for BTS comes from ambassador contracts and luxury advertising. All 7 members currently own a total of 31 contracts with leading fashion houses, beauty brands and jewelry brands in the world such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Valentino, Celine, Cartier or Tiffany & Co.
After being discharged from the military, the members signed a series of new or re-signed contracts with remuneration ranging from tens to hundreds of billions of won for each exclusive contract.
BTS's income also includes revenue from exclusive global live broadcast rights and original documentaries that Netflix acquired, as well as revenue sharing from previous remastered (remake) concert films.
According to the ranking "Highest-Income Music Artist" released by Forbes USA in 2026, the highest-income artist in the world today is The Weeknd with about 298 million USD.
Meanwhile, this year's income that Forbes Korea statistics for BTS has surpassed Taylor Swift - the second ranked with about 202 million USD (equivalent to about 302 billion won).
Forbes Korea predicts that when BTS completes the "Arirang" tour next year, the group may even surpass The Weeknd.
According to Forbes Korea, the girl group Blackpink (Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, Lisa) ranks second after BTS with an estimated income of 151.8 billion won (equivalent to about 100.6 million USD), officially joining the "100 million USD club" along with top world superstars such as Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar.
Blackpink's income is calculated based on minimum guarantee money (MG) and concert ticket sales revenue, idol goods from 33 concerts in the period 2025-2026.
33 luxury brand ambassador and advertising contracts signed by 4 members also account for 32.9% of the group's total estimated income.
After BTS and Blackpink, G-Dragon (Big Bang) is a notable name when ranked third with an estimated income of 92.6 billion won.
In particular, G-Dragon's entire income comes from personal activities, while BTS and Blackpink combine group and solo income.
G-Dragon's main source of income is thanks to 22 concerts during last year's "Übermensch" tour, along with fan meetings this year.
Hits like "Home Sweet Home", "Too Bad", "Power", "Crooked" continue to maintain high rankings on many charts and bring in huge digital music revenue.
In addition, income from 7 advertising and brand ambassador contracts is also included in total income.
