Kim Soo-Hyun has maintained the top spot in the Big Data Actor Brand Value Rankings for the fifth consecutive week, solidifying his status as one of Korea's A-listers — despite facing cyber witch-hunting during challenging times.

Kim earned a total of 136,987 in the 17th-week ranking release for article readership, fan interaction, brand power votes, and online index.

Kim is popular while he's still popular.

The actor is currently facing increased public scrutiny and controversy for endorsing products and making recent appearances. Nonetheless, he continues to have the support of millions of fans.

The brand value rankings consider a range of metrics, including reader recommendations, the number of sponsored articles, and digital votes.

While Kim ranked relatively low in categories such as MSN Likes—placing 40th with 112 likes—he dominated in the Superstar Brand Power Vote, receiving 2,262,570 votes.

His closest competitor, actress Kim Hye-yoon, earned 121,896 points. She led in article readership (30,351) and comment activity (11,562), narrowly beating Byeon Woo-seok, who followed with 11,558 comments.

The rising star, Byeon, came in third with a total brand value of 77,058 points, experiencing a significant increase in various categories, including content views, searches, and likes.

A similar case is also evident in the Star Ranking poll for male actors.

In the 110th round, held from April 24 to May 1, Kim climbed from seventh to third place with 11,546 votes, displacing actor Kim Nam-gil. In the previous round, Kim had only garnered 540 votes.

In the latest round (115th), which ended June 5, Kim claimed first place with 182,051 votes, well ahead of second-place Lee Junho (63,618) and third-place Byeon Woo-seok (17,117).

Star Ranking is a competitive fan-voting platform that offers incentives, including digital certificates and outdoor billboard ads, to top-ranked stars.

Maintaining first place for four consecutive weeks qualifies a star for these promotional perks, a benchmark Kim has now surpassed.

Kim's recent rise is primarily credited to a loyal fan base rallying behind the actor during turbulent times.

"His ability to leap four spots in a single week underscores the resilience and dedication of his fandom," noted industry analyst Choi Min-seok. "This is a textbook case of star power overcoming reputational hurdles."

While the actor's ranking success signals a possible comeback, public sentiment remains divided.

A recent surge in support coincides with anticipation for his upcoming drama, Knock Off, which has stirred mixed reactions due to its parallels with real-life controversies.

Whether Kim Soo-hyun can fully restore his public image remains to be seen. For now, his numbers speak volumes.