“This was a year in which the landscape of brand value changed dramatically due to the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. SK hynix, which ranked 13th last year, has jumped to 9th place this year. At this pace of growth, it could enter the top five in brand value within the next three years.”

Interbrand Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gonzalo Brujó made these remarks in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo on the 10th at Interbrand Korea’s office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The Spain-born global branding expert is visiting Korea to attend the “Best Korea Brands 2026” announcement event on the 11th. Interbrand Korea CEO Moon Ji-hoon also joined the interview. Interbrand, which evaluates value based on a comprehensive analysis of financial performance, the influence of the brand on purchasing decisions, and competitiveness, publishes an annual “Best Global Brands Top 100” ranking and, applying the same global standards in Korea, has been announcing the “Best Korea Brands” list of the top 50 brands since 2013.

Asked to name the most notable changes in Korean brand values this year, Brujó said, “Companies such as SK hynix and CJ Olive Young, whose rankings have climbed, share the common feature of having secured clear future growth engines amid a sharp increase in market demand,” adding, “Coupang, which experienced a personal information leakage incident, fell four places in the rankings.” Moon added, “These companies (that have climbed in the rankings) share the characteristic of effectively communicating their vision and potential to the public.”

Brujó paid particular attention to SK hynix, which rose from 13th place last year to 9th this year. “SK hynix has established itself as a leader within the ecosystem on the back of growth in the AI semiconductor market,” he said. “Unlike in the past, business-to-business (B2B) brands that do not sell finished products are starting to be talked about by the general public.” In reality, SK hynix’s flagship products are DRAM offerings such as high bandwidth memory (HBM), which consumers do not directly purchase.

Despite this, the key factor that has imprinted the SK hynix brand in the public mind has been its “rising share price.” Moon explained, “The surge in share prices of semiconductor companies such as SK hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Nvidia has been a catalyst for drawing the attention of Korea’s 17 million individual investors,” adding, “The rise in share prices has enhanced public awareness and preference, which in turn has led to higher brand value.”

CJ Olive Young also climbed four spots, from 31st to 27th. Brujó said, “Olive Young is regarded as the ‘coolest’ space in Korea, buoyed by the global K-culture trend,” analyzing that “aspiration toward the young and beautiful Koreans portrayed in K-content is translating into visits to Olive Young, where people can experience their lifestyle.” He went on, “As Korean culture as a whole—including modes of behavior, business practices, and ethical awareness—spreads worldwide, national understanding and admiration have become significantly stronger than in the past.”

Brujó assessed that the importance of brand value is growing further in the AI era. Unlike in the era of traditional search engines, AI models such as ChatGPT and Gemini recommend “trustworthy” brands to users based on their own judgment. “Each brand’s ‘iconic moves’ and ‘storytelling’ have become more important than ever,” he said, stressing, “It is crucial to differentiate brands so that they are mentioned by AI models and to pursue constant innovation.”

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