October 2026 Rookie Idol Brand Reputation Rankings: RESCENE Tops, izna Surges 492%

RESCENE topped the October 2026 rookie idol group brand reputation rankings with a score of 8,057,217, up 8.04% from September. CORTIS held No. 2 at 2,510,823, while izna surged to No. 3 with a 492.05% increase to 1,374,000. Hearts2Hearts and KiiiKiii rounded out the top five.

Data Snapshot

Field	Detail
Data checked	October 5, 2026, 11:30 AM KST
Chart period	September 1 – October 1, 2026
Time zone	Korea Standard Time (KST)
Primary chart	Rookie Idol Group Brand Reputation Rankings
Chart owner	Korean Business Research Institute (한국기업평판연구소)
Methodology	Big-data analysis of consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes
Primary source	Korean Business Research Institute via brikorea.com and Sports Khan
Data volume	22,363,066 big-data points, up 13.31% from September

Chart Ranking Table: Top 30 Rookie Idol Groups – October 2026

Rank	Artist	Brand Reputation Index	Previous (Sept.)	Change	Sub-Indices (Participation / Media / Interaction / Community)
1	RESCENE	8,057,217	7,457,923	▲ 8.04%	1,388,940 / 1,418,103 / 2,905,160 / 2,345,015
2	CORTIS	2,510,823	2,438,696	▲ 2.96%	243,824 / 311,122 / 932,662 / 1,023,215
3	izna	1,374,000	232,073	▲ 492.05%	108,302 / 295,954 / 531,421 / 438,324
4	Hearts2Hearts	1,174,877	1,192,464	▼ 1.47%	127,498 / 184,127 / 470,019 / 393,232
5	KiiiKiii	1,149,374	1,485,176	▼ 22.61%	102,998 / 145,771 / 518,911 / 381,693
6	TWS	771,493	454,242	▲ –	71,540 / 111,815 / 343,265 / 244,873
7	ILLIT	700,617	652,292	▲ –	96,824 / 148,836 / 290,998 / 163,959
8	TUIDE	Not publicly disclosed	832,440	▼ –	166,894 / 104,665 / 193,675 / 174,595
9	BABYMONSTER	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
10	UNIS	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
11	ALPHA DRIVE ONE	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
12	MEOVV	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
13	Geenius	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
14	AHOF	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
15	LNGSHOT	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
16	NAVILLERA	Not publicly disclosed	– –	–	–
17	KATSEYE	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
18	XLOV	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
19	USPEER	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
20	ARTMS	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
21	KickFlip	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	– –
22	idntt	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
23	KIIRAS	Not publicly disclosed	–	– –	–
24	SPIA	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
25	AtHeart	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
26	UNCHILD	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
27	eite	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
28	NEXZ	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
29	IDID	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–
30	AND2BLE	Not publicly disclosed	–	–	–

Note: The Korean Business Research Institute publishes brand reputation index scores for the top 30. Some lower-ranked groups’ individual index scores are not included in accessible public reports. The source does not provide an exact figure for those positions. Rankings 9–30 are confirmed by name from the Korean Business Research Institute’s published top 30 list via Soompi and Asia Artist Awards.

Full Chart & Rankings Article

RESCENE Extends Its Lead at the Top

RESCENE has now held the No. 1 spot for three consecutive months. The group’s brand reputation index rose to 8,057,217 in October, an 8.04% increase from September’s 7,457,923. The gap between RESCENE and second-place CORTIS is substantial: RESCENE’s index is more than three times larger than CORTIS’s 2,510,823.

The Korean Business Research Institute’s keyword analysis for RESCENE highlighted “LOVE ATTACK,” “trot,” and “college festival,” while link analysis showed “surpass,” “sold out,” and “root for” as high-ranking related terms. The group’s positivity-negativity ratio was 94.97% positive.

izna’s 492% Surge Is the Month’s Defining Movement

The most dramatic change in the October rankings is izna’s rise from outside the top 20 to No. 3. The group’s brand reputation index jumped from 232,073 in September to 1,374,000 in October – a 492.05% increase. The scale of this increase suggests a significant external trigger, though the Korean Business Research Institute does not publicly attribute index movements to specific events in its monthly release.

KiiiKiii’s Decline and Hearts2Hearts’ Slide

KiiiKiii, which ranked No. 3 in September, dropped to No. 5 in October with a 22.61% decrease in its brand reputation index, falling from 1,485,176 to 1,149,374. Hearts2Hearts also slipped one spot, from No. 3 in September to No. 4 in October, with a 1.47% decline to 1,174,877.

The contrast between KiiiKiii’s double-digit drop and Hearts2Hearts’ marginal slide illustrates how volatile the rookie brand reputation index can be. Both groups remain firmly in the top five, but their momentum has shifted.

CORTIS Holds Steady at No. 2

CORTIS maintained its No. 2 position for the third consecutive month, with a 2.96% increase from 2,438,696 to 2,510,823. The group’s community index (1,023,215) is notably strong – it is the only group outside RESCENE to exceed one million in any single sub-index.

TWS and ILLIT Climb

TWS rose from No. 7 in September to No. 6 in October, with a brand reputation index of 771,493. ILLIT moved from No. 6 to No. 7, with a score of 700,617. TUIDE, which ranked No. 5 in September, fell to No. 8 in October, with its index score not disclosed in the accessible public report.

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Biggest Movers

Category	Artist	Detail	Evidence
Biggest climb (top 5)	izna	From outside top 20 to No. 3	492.05% index increase
Biggest drop (top 5)	KiiiKiii	No. 3 to No. 5	22.61% index decrease
Highest absolute score	RESCENE	8,057,217	No. 1 for third month
Highest sub-index (community)	RESCENE	2,345,015	Highest community awareness score
Highest sub-index (participation)	RESCENE	1,388,940	Highest consumer participation score

Analysis: izna’s 492.05% increase is the largest percentage movement among any top-5 group this month. The Korean Business Research Institute does not publish attribution for index changes, so the specific cause of this surge is not confirmed by the official source. What is confirmed is the scale of the increase: izna’s index grew by approximately 1,141,927 points month-over-month.

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New Entries / Re-Entries

The Korean Business Research Institute’s monthly rookie idol group rankings do not publish explicit “new entry” or “re-entry” labels in the same way as music charts. The top 30 list is compiled fresh each month from the big-data analysis. Groups appearing in the October top 30 that were not in the September top 30 include:

• MEOVV (No. 12)
• Geenius (No. 13)
• AHOF (No. 14)
• LNGSHOT (No. 15)
• NAVILLERA (No. 16)
• KATSEYE (No. 17)
• XLOV (No. 18)
• USPEER (No. 19)
• ARTMS (No. 20)

Confirmed by comparing the October top 30 list with the September top 30 reference data available in the Asia Artist Awards comparison table. The Korean Business Research Institute does not formally label these as “new entries” – they are simply groups that entered the top 30 in October.

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Cross-Chart Comparison

This article covers only one ranking: the Korean Business Research Institute’s Rookie Idol Group Brand Reputation Index. This is not a music chart. It does not measure streams, sales, downloads, or chart performance in the traditional sense.

Metric	What It Measures	What It Does Not Measure
Brand Reputation Index	Consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, community awareness	Music sales, streaming numbers, chart positions
Circle Chart	Music sales, streaming, downloads	Brand sentiment, community awareness
Hanteo Chart	Physical album sales	Digital streaming, brand reputation
Billboard	Airplay, sales, streaming (varies by chart)	Korean community sentiment

Note: Each chart uses its own methodology and measurement period. Positions should be compared as separate indicators rather than as identical scores.

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Chart Methodology: How the Rookie Idol Group Brand Reputation Index Works

The Korean Business Research Institute publishes monthly brand reputation rankings across multiple categories, including idol groups, individual idols, actors, and brands. The rookie idol group category analyzes boy groups and girl groups that debuted in 2023 or later.

What the index measures:

The brand reputation index is a composite score built from four sub-indices:

1. Participation Index (참여지수): Measures consumer engagement with the brand.
2. Media Index (미디어지수): Measures media coverage volume.
3. Communication Index (소통지수): Measures interaction between the brand and its audience.
4. Community Index (커뮤니티지수): Measures community awareness and discussion.

These four sub-indices are combined into a single brand reputation index score. Higher scores indicate greater brand visibility and engagement across these dimensions.

Data collection:

For the October 2026 ranking, the Korean Business Research Institute extracted 22,363,066 big-data points from September 1 to October 1, 2026. This represents a 13.31% increase from the 19,735,635 data points analyzed for the September ranking.

What the index does not measure:

The brand reputation index is not a measure of music quality, streaming performance, album sales, or chart position. A group can rank highly on this index without charting on Circle, Hanteo, or Billboard. Conversely, strong chart performance does not guarantee a high brand reputation index.

Editorial note: The Korean Business Research Institute does not disclose the specific weighting of each sub-index in the composite score. The index methodology is proprietary. Readers should interpret the rankings as an indicator of relative brand visibility and engagement during the measurement period, not as a definitive measure of group popularity.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who topped the October 2026 rookie idol group brand reputation rankings?
RESCENE topped the ranking with a brand reputation index of 8,057,217.

2. What is the rookie idol group brand reputation ranking based on?
It is based on big-data analysis of consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes for boy groups and girl groups that debuted in 2023 or later.

3. How much did RESCENE’s score increase from September?
RESCENE’s score increased 8.04%, from 7,457,923 in September to 8,057,217 in October.

4. Which group had the biggest increase this month?
izna recorded a 492.05% increase, rising from 232,073 in September to 1,374,000 in October.

5. Who is No. 2 in the October rankings?
CORTIS is No. 2 with a brand reputation index of 2,510,823.

6. Which group dropped the most in the top 5?
KiiiKiii dropped from No. 3 to No. 5, with a 22.61% decrease in its index score.

7. What is the difference between the brand reputation index and a music chart?
The brand reputation index measures consumer engagement, media coverage, and community awareness. Music charts like Circle and Hanteo measure sales, streaming, and downloads. They are separate metrics with different methodologies.

8. How many data points were analyzed for the October ranking?
The Korean Business Research Institute analyzed 22,363,066 big-data points collected from September 1 to October 1, 2026.

9. Did the total data volume increase from September?
Yes. The October analysis used 13.31% more data than the September analysis (19,735,635 data points).

10. Which groups are in the top 5 for October 2026?
RESCENE, CORTIS, izna, Hearts2Hearts, and KiiiKiii.

11. Who is No. 6 in the October rankings?
TWS is No. 6 with a brand reputation index of 771,493.

12. What does the participation index measure?
The participation index measures consumer engagement with the brand. RESCENE had the highest participation index (1,388,940) in October.

13. What does the community index measure?
The community index measures community awareness and discussion around the brand. RESCENE had the highest community index (2,345,015) in October.

14. Has RESCENE topped this ranking before?
Yes. RESCENE also ranked No. 1 in August 2026 (6,777,877) and September 2026 (7,457,923).

15. Where can I find the full top 30 list?
The full top 30 list is published by the Korean Business Research Institute and reported by outlets including Soompi and Asia Artist Awards.

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