Son Heung-min, BTS Among Fan Faves for This Year

Clockwise from top left, Son Heung-min, Kong Hyo-jin, Yoo Jae-suk, Song Kang-ho, Song Ga-in and BTS

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Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has been voted this year's best athlete, in an annual poll by Gallup Korea. A large majority of respondents picked Son, followed by Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gallup Korea conducted the poll asking 1,700 people aged 13 or older nationwide in November to gather opinions on which stars did their best in their respective fields.

Among movie stars, Song Kang-ho who appeared in director Bong Joon-ho's internationally acclaimed film "Parasite" was chosen as the best actor with 29.8 percent, followed by Ma Dong-seok (18.2 percent) and Gong Yoo (8.9 percent).

Among television stars, Kong Hyo-jin was chosen as the best actress.

Among comedians, hosts of talk-shows or variety shows and other celebrities, Yoo Jae-suk was voted the favorite star again this year, taking the spot for the eighth consecutive year since the poll was first conducted in 2007.

As for K-pop stars and singers, BTS took the top spot for the second consecutive year. They held more than 60 concerts which took them around the world over the year and drew over 2 million fans.

Singer Song Ga-in, who enjoyed sensational popularity after appearing in TV Chosun's singing competition program early this year, which featured Korea's old-fashioned pop genre, came second.

"The results of the poll show who's who, how Koreans find consolation from them in a year gripped with economic hardship", Gallup Korea said.