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Women behind 'KPop Demon Hunters' join Naver, Hotel Shilla chiefs on Forbes power ranking

Published: 11 Dec. 2025, 17:39 Updated: 11 Dec. 2025, 17:44

Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, released on Dec. 10, lists major figures including, from left: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Hotel Shilla President and CEO Lee Boo-jin and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon [AFP/YONHAP, NEWS1, NAVER]

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ranked third on Forbes’ list of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" for 2025, joined by figures such as Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin, Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon and the female creators, stars and crew behind the hit Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen topped the ranking, followed by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the list published by the U.S. business magazine on Wednesday.

"For all the setbacks for the world’s women in 2025," Forbes wrote in a report, continuing, "the leaders and vanguards on the 2025 Forbes Power Women list stood as examples of resilience in turbulent times."

Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister in October, is leading the world’s fourth-largest economy — valued at $4.2 trillion — at the intersection of semiconductor security, defense reform and demographic pressure, according to Forbes.

"All of these decisions will shape East Asian power dynamics and global manufacturing stability," wrote the magazine.

Lee and Choi ranked 90th and 91st, respectively. Forbes introduced Lee as the eldest daughter of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee who "has been nicknamed 'little Kun-hee' by the local press for her business acumen." As for Choi, the magazine noted that "she was 40 when she was appointed to the position" as the second female CEO and youngest non-founder CEO of Naver. "In the announcement about Choi's appointment as CEO, the Naver board praised her problem-solving abilities and her "deep understanding of global markets," wrote the magazine.

A still from the Netflix film ″K-pop Demon Hunters″ [NETFLIX]

Audrey Nuna, left, EJAE, center, and Rei Ami from ″KPop Demon Hunters″ appear at the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, New York, on Sept. 7. [AP/YONHAP]

“The Women of K-pop Demon Hunters” were ranked at No. 100. As of December, the film had recorded more than 325 million views on Netflix, becoming the most-watched film in the streaming service's history, according to Forbes. The song "Golden" made waves by reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart this year. The song gained particular attention for being co-written by Korean American composer EJAE, who also performed the track in the role of Rumi, the leader of the film’s main K-pop girl group, HUNTR/X.

"The movie’s resonance has gone beyond the typical boundaries of gender, ethnicity or age, in part because of its message about facing your own demons and accepting your own perceived flaws," noted Forbes. Close to "50 percent of the nearly 750 people listed on the film’s credits were women," according to Sony producer Michelle Wong as cited by the company.

“For an animated movie to just cross all generations and demographics... it's just been very surreal," director Maggie Kang told Forbes.

The list this year focused on women driving the core infrastructure of global society — in sectors like technology, finance and politics — and exerting real influence in areas tied to national survival, such as AI, semiconductors, supply chains and manufacturing security, according to the magazine.

Still, Forbes pointed out that the highest levels of decision-making remain dominated by men.

"Women are steering the systems that will define the next decade, yet the highest tiers of power remain selectively guarded," wrote Moira Forbes, executive vice president of Forbes, in an article. “Yet despite wielding influence at unprecedented scale, access to the highest tier remains narrow. This list reveals both where women hold power and where it stops."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HA SU-YOUNG [[email protected]]