Music Asia

RICHARD Lai pushed through security, slammed down an emergency exit door and knocked out a few K-Pop fans along the way, just to get a glimpse of his favourite girl group.

The 19-year-old medical student got the attention of the SNSD girls when they arrived at Sydney Airport on Saturday for the K-Pop festival at ANZ Stadium.

PHOTOS: See more from the festival

“Security ushered all the K-Pop fans into a corner of the arrivals section but me, my brother and two of our other friends pretended we were with another family waiting for relatives,” Mr Lai said.

“When SNSD arrived it was pandemonium but because all the fans were cornered we got to run up to the girls, walk by their side and take photos.

“We then ran to an emergency exit which wasn’t being guarded, went outside to where they were boarding their bus and managed to get even closer.”

The crazed situation was not too surprising for anyone familiar with K-Pop, or Korean Pop, and its reputation for obsessed fans.

Mr Lai’s day got even better at the K-Pop festival that night. “I snuck past two sets of security and went through the VIP area which was as close as you can get to the stage.”

was no stopping this obsessed SNSD fan from confessing his love to the pop group.

“I kept yelling out their names and was getting individual waves and winks,” he said.

“It was a great night and the atmosphere was crazy.”

K-POP ARTISTS
The line-up included: TVXQ, SNSD, SHINee, Secret, Miss A, KARA, 4 Minute, 2AM, CN Blue, Beast, Mblaq, Sistar

On November 17, the “2011 Melon Music Awards” announced the top three trends they noticed in K-Pop this year. They listed the biggest trends in the industry as: the growth of idol groups, the global craze in Hallyu, and the diversity in musical style.

The most noticeable trend this year is, of course, the strength of idol groups. More than 80 percent of this year’s nominees for the “Melon Awards” are idol groups. But the latest idol bands, unlike most old school idols that put more emphasis on their appearance and styles, are much more musically talented and prepared. With their long trainee period, the more recent idol bands have great vocal and dancing skills, which is appealing to all age groups.

Hallyu has stepped up its game this year by expanding its target market to non-Asian countries. We saw Korean artists perform in Paris, New York City, London, as well as some Latin American cities this year. The Hallyu phenomenon that first began with the popularity of TV dramas and movies in few Asian countries has now blossomed into a major industry spanning music, food, and fashion.

The industry has seen a lot more diversity in musical styles as well. With the creation of TV programs such as MBC “I Am a Singer,” KBS “Immortal Song 2,” and Mnet “Superstar K3,” fans have been able to experience music by non-idols artists, including the more veteran singers or up-and-coming singers trying out for audition programs.

“We feel very proud of the fact that the 2011 Melon Music Awards is a show that perfectly reflects the latest trends in the K-Pop industry. In particular, as the year 2011 comes to an end, we’re doing our best to make this show the best festival that fits the ‘Music of Energy’ theme and gives joy and happiness to our fans,” an official from Melon said.

The “2011 Melon Music Awards” will be held in Seoul on November 24 at 7PM KST. It will be broadcast live on MBC and its official YouTube channel. You can find more information here!

Thunderstix is the Editor-in-chief for soompi.com. You can email him at eugene@soompi.com, or follow his twitter.com feed at @eugenekim222.

South Korean popstars 4Minute, Beast, and G.NA of Cube Entertainment will be heading to the UK this December for the first ever K-Pop Showcase in the UK.

‘United Cube in London’, an event organised by the band’s label, will take place at London’s O2 Brixton Academy on Monday 5th December. United Cube tickets will be available from Stereoboard – check below for the link.

The phenomenon known as K-Pop is steadily gaining popularity throughout Europe. South Korea’s leading K-Pop record label Cube will be bringing down its own artists 4Minute, Beast and G.Na – who are ready to dazzle their European fans with their dynamic performances and energetic charm.

United Cube in London’ is a joint production with Cube Entertainment and Live Nation. This is the first K-Pop showcase in the UK and, as a result, is drawing attention from entertainment companies worldwide.

The first ‘United Cube Concert’ was held in Seoul in August earlier this year. The following show at Budokkan in Tokyo, Japan, attracted over 10,000 fans and received brilliant reviews from critics and fans alike all across Asia.

Cube’s CEO, Hong Seung Sun, said: “K-POP has arrived in the UK. Cube is honoured and proud to present our artists in Europe. It means a lot to all of us, this will be the chance to light the fire and mark a new phase in K-POP.”

Yoon Du Jun, the leader of Beast, added, “We know lots of European fans have been waiting for this show. We are really happy and looking forward to having the show in this great venue where many respectable singers have performed. We will do our best to make it a memorable show.”

United Cube UK Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:

Mon December 5th 2011 – O2 Academy Brixton, London

Click Here to Compare Buy United Cube Tickets at Stereoboard.com.

Follow @stereoboard on Twitter!

MANILA, Philippines – K-pop quintet Wonder Girls’ new album “Wonder World” has entered the Billboard World Albums chart, debuting at No. 5 for the week of Nov. 26.

The Wonder Girls also debuted at No. 33 on Billboard’s Social 50 chart, “this week’s highest debut.”

“Billboard’s Social 50 chart ranks the most active artists on the world’s leading social networking sites — YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and iLike — using a formula blending weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with weekly artist page views and weekly song plays,” according to an article on Billboard.com

The album was released last Nov. 7 and it topped music charts in Korea and also entered the iTunes Top 100 albums chart at No. 59.

In addition, the Wonder Girls won their first K-chart award for their title track “Be My Baby” on Mnet’s “M! Countdown” TV music program on Nov. 17, a week after starting their TV promotions.

The girls edged out Brown Eyed Girls and solo singer Lee Seung Gi to clinch the award. The win brought tears to Wonder Girls members Sunye and Hye Lim.

“Be My Baby” also zoomed to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s K-pop Hot 100 chart after debuting at No. 12 last week.

Completing the Top 10 on the K-pop chart are Huh Gak’s “All I Can Say Is, I Want To,” Ulala Session’s “The Western Sky,” T-ara’s “Cry Cry,” Noel’s “I Miss You,” Girls Generation’s “The Boys,” Lee Seung Gi’s “Friends,” Ulala Session’s “Swing Baby,” Brown Eyed Girls’ “Cleansing Cream,” and Busker Busker’s “Makgeolli Na.”

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton praised the music video for “Be My Baby,” saying it reminds him of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”

“We guess Beyonce isn’t the only one being inspired these days. The Wonder Girls have released their new video for “Be My Baby,” and it’s really fun to watch!” he wrote.

He added, “But some of it is very reminiscent of ‘Single Ladies’ (although that was also an ‘inspiration’). The rest of it kind of reminds us of a magical dance number in a holiday movie too…but in the best way possible!”

The “Be My Baby” has already garnered 8.72 million views on YouTube since it was released last Nov. 5.

With this, the music video got the gold medal award on YouTube’s Recently Most Popular videos category and a silver Trending medal for gaining “huge attention over the last week.”

Canadian rapper Jesse Day Canadian rapper sings Korean lyrics

By Kelly Frances

Last October, Canadian rapper Jesse Day spit-fired the Korean lyrics of “외톨이” (Alone) alongside speed rapper Outsider, on SBS’s “Star King,” a show which features performers with unique abilities. It was a breathtaking spectacle, requiring months of rigorous practice.

Day’s fast-paced performance earned the praise of several of his idols, including 2pm member Nick Hun, and Outsider himself.

“San Chu of the rap group Mighty Mouth said he was amazed that I did what I did, because it is incredibly difficult for Korean rappers to do the song,” said Day. “That was an important moment for me. Moments like that help me stay positive.”

These days, Day is gearing up for SBS’s K-pop Star, a survival style competition program where he will face his greatest challenge yet. He was chosen from tens of thousands of contestants worldwide to appear in front of such luminary judges as Park Jin-young, the CEO of YG entertainment, and his long-time idol BoA. The show is set to air in January.

Despite Day’s success thus far, the Korean entertainment industry can be challenging for foreigners. In 2010, the Ministry of Justice reported an 8 percent increase in foreign residency. Occidental influences can be seen in cuisine and fashion, and the faces one passes on many metropolitan streets show increasing diversity. Though many Koreans accept and even welcome globalization, the changing face of the nation has inspired “anti-multiculturalism” communities online. Such groups have nudged policy-makers to address what they see as a threat to authentic Korean style. The domestic music industry remains one area where foreign influence, and foreigners themselves, have not made many inroads.

“There’s never been a non-Asian person to be famous in the music industry in Korea,” says Day. “My goal is to be among the first.”

Day’s journey to Asia began while he was studying in Vancouver, Canada. Having learned the lyrics to a few Asian rap songs, he posted a video of himself rapping in Korean on the Internet. The video was a hit. Encouraged by a supportive circle of Asian exchange students and friends, Day moved to China.

“I learned Chinese, and was selected for a TV program that was touring from Inner Mongolia to Tibet and all around the country.”

A documentary about Day’s work in Beijing followed, along with numerous small rap appearances in Beijing. Then one day, an email arrived that would change the direction of his life.

“In 2009, I was working in Beijing, and I got an email from the people at Star King inviting me to audition. I dropped everything and called mom and dad,” he said.

The road began rocky for the white, North American rapper, who spent hours cramming to learn Korean, virtually overnight.

“When I arrived, I decided I was going to stay regardless of what happened. My beginning goal was to succeed in Asia as a whole, and the reach of Korean entertainment is colossal.”

Day describes his first audition with Star King as a failure, but credited the experience with providing him with direction.

“I think I failed because I couldn’t speak any Korean, my pronunciation was poor, and I only knew one song. Afterward, I made it my main goal to get on the show.”

How does he fit into the K-pop scene? Day feels he generally doesn’t.

“I don’t think any foreigner really truly fits in, but I’m OK with that. The reality is, Koreans listen to 85 percent domestic music and watch 85 percent domestic television. Most of Asia is wild about Korean music and TV, but Koreans love their entertainers, and they fuel the commercial industry,” he added, also noting that the ominous mergence of music and advertising is his one gripe with K-pop.

“It isn’t so blatant in the West,” he said. “I think it hurts the music in a way, this mass endorsement. A new phone may be coming out, and a group like Girls Generation makes a song about it…it’s become a focus. I don’t believe the artist necessarily gets a choice in the endorsement, and it’s a necessary evil because nobody buys music these days.”

To illustrate his point, he gestured at the soju and beer ads plastered on the walls of the galbi restaurant where this interview took place; nearly every poster featured a K-pop star.

Day’s tenacity would finally pay off this fall when he won 3rd place on the KBS Chuseok competition show “Cheong Guk Nore Jarang.”

Shortly after, he was invited to audition for K-POP STAR and received the big news.

“No matter what happens, I’m living the ultimate fan boy’s dream.”

Kelly Frances is a contributing writer.

Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

Chung Youn-soo Monica, Publisher of Korea IT Times and Chair of the symposium (left), and Doh Myung-kuk, the President of the KS

“Through art, many artists state ‘I was here, this is what I thought, and this is what I perceived.’ And by saying so, their works allows us to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future.

A Korean born international video artist, the late Paik Nam-june is a great example of art overcoming death. In addition, K-pop has grown into a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults around the world, resulting in widespread interest in the fashion and style of Korean idol groups and singers.

But how can we set the global identity of our artists in the eternal present? And how can our artists last forever as culture-icons? That is a problem. Today, we will reinterpret Paik Nam-june’s works in form of art, to find the current status ofKorea’s international image after industrialization, and discover how to apply the core new value to K-pop- all for the eternity of our best asset- culture.

The Korean Society of Culture Industry (KSCI) welcomes you to an international symposium, and we hope to engrave our redefined new Korean culture into the hearts of the cosmopolitan,” said Chung Youn-soo Monica, Publisher of Korea IT Times and the Chairwoman of the Korean Society of Culture Industry’s first ever International Culture Symposium, to declare the event officially open.

Korean Society of Culture Symposium

The first ever academic symposium held by the Korean Society of Culture Industry (KSCI)  to reevaluate and commemorate Paik Nam-june’s work is significant in that was held on the 79th birthday of late artist. The President of the KSCI, Dr.Doh Myung-kuk invited famous artists, curators, art critics, and scholars from five countries, all of whom are experts on Paik’s lifetime work. He said, “With respect to Paik’s impact on society in the past, now, and future, we will attempt to reevaluate Paik’s life and work as the creator of the video art genre, along with the Fluxus movement. At this first symposium, we will try to understand the role of pop culture in contemporary society. We will focus specifically on whether there exists a liaison between the success of Paik in video art and the recent international success of k-pop by discussing Paik’s use of Korean culture in his work.” By doing so, attendees sought to answer whether contemporary K-pop can develop a synergy with the success of the Korean economy, thus improving the image ofKoreain what has come to be known as Korean brand. “We will have a second symposium in March 2012, and we will continuously seek to answer whether the success of K-pop is sustainable as a mainstream global culture like Paik’s work,” added President Doh.

Reflection on Korean Artist Nam-jun Paik

Huang Du, Curator form Beijing

In honor of the artist’s life, independent curator from Beijing, Huang Du, spoke extensively about Paik’s journey from studying music in Tokyo to being at the forefront of the German avant-garde of the 60’s. He traced his development from training with John Cage and performing with Stockhausen to his move toNew Yorkand his rise as an established artist, leading the Fluxus Movement.

 Mr. Du declared that if forced to chose the best Korean artist he would name Paik Nam-june, saying, “He experimentally attempted to mix various artistic elements derived from various fields such as media, technique, popular culture, avant-garde art, among others, and through this unique experimental art, he was recognized as the pioneer of video art internationally.”

What is the Modern Image of Japan

Tsutomu Hiroi, Sculptor from Japan

A famous Japanese sculptor, Tsutomu Hiroi, was present at the Korean Society of Culture Symposium. Mr. Hiroi, to the delight of the symposium, recalled back to when Paik Nam-june studied atTokyoUniversity. As he shared his works with the attendees, he honored Paik’s works as an inspiration. Mr. Hiroi shared howJapanhas developed its modern image.

He said, “Each country has a unique ancient culture. When I was younger, I received a small head sculpture as a gift which was made from jade from my teacher Isamu Nogchi, who was a good friend of Nam-june Paik. He said that it was made beforeColumbusfoundAmerica.” He mentioned that he lives next to a construction site, and finds it interesting that modern works and Joulmon pottery, such as his sculpture can exist together in time. “I think this is the modern image ofJapan, where tradition and the modern coexist.”

 Paik’s influence in perspective

Graeme Murran wove well known Korean artist Nam June Paik’s work and influence into a historical tapestry, mentioning that during Paik’s well known performances with German cellist Charlotte Moorman, Eisenhower was warning of the “rise of the industrial military complex”.

He said he was endeared to the inventive wit and playfulness of Cage, and Paik’s musical performances. He told a story of a Cage performance where the composer left the audience waiting and waiting, surprising the audience with a noisy percussive replay of their restlessness after having placed microphones under their seats to record them..

His talk interwove antidotes of art making powerful ecologic and political statements.  Mentioning the power of Japanese futurist photography exhibitions he held to point out the changes in the environment due to development.  He mentioned his special relationship withKoreaand said, “I hope this continues with inventive and playful wit.”

Left: Graeme Murran Right: Ingo Baumgarten

A Global Artist Considered

Assistant professor fromHongikUniversity, Ingo Baumgarten shared his own personal history with, and the reception of world famous Korean-born artist, Paik Nam-june work inEurope. He pointed out that Nam-june was basically considered a German artist. Mr. Baumgarten said he was born the same year Paik moved toNew York. He mentioned, “Paik’s work has been collected in a lot of museums, with many exhibitions being held inGermany.

He first encountered Paik’s work when he was 18 inVienna. He was fascinated with his ”Prepared Piano”. Paik made it a visual artistic statement, adorning it with nails and barbed wire. Mr. Baumgarten saw in it a criticism of high culture and enjoyed ‘the playful mixture of aggressive humor.”

“Paik’s teachings also had a big impact on the German art scene. From 1978 to 1996, Paik was Professor for sculpture at the famous Dusseldorf Kunstakademie. Hundreds of students studied in his class during those years. Ingo described students’ gossips, the artists’ jokes, and the internal conflicts the artist faced. “In his beginnings, Paik clearly opposed the cultural establishment. But by becoming more and more famous he himself became a part of the establishment he tended to attack in his earlier years. Such development tends to cause some internal conflicts which often articulate themselves in cynical attitudes as I just described. But in general I think that Paik coped well with that conflict, giving grace to his very special subversive and creative humor. He was able to combine those opposing positions within himself, and his work.”

Korea’s Music Industry in the Digital Age

Ko Jeong-min, Head Of the Korea Creative Research Ins.

The head of the Korea Creative Industry Research Institute, Ko Jung-min, added a voice at the symposium as well. Professor Ko said, “The music industry is overcoming its third crisis – the illegal downloading,” The first he noted was radio broadcasting, and the second, TV.  He attributes the globalization of K-pop, dubbed “Hallyu” or Korean wave as an attempt to capture market share to make up for revenue absent due to illegal downloading.

He projected, “In order for Hallyu to survive …and continue its fever, international copyrights, penetration into theU.S.market, diversification of revenue sources, overcoming of anti-Hallyu, and bilateral exchange are needed.”

The panel discussion summarized the theme of this first ever academic meeting between, Nam June Paik and K-Pop. The symposium left an impression to many visitors that such a global artist as Paik was too little known in his home country ofKorea. And in order to not repeat the same mistake, the KSCI plans to continuously facilitate the process of defining the contemporary image ofKoreaafter its industrialization and economic success through this assembly.

The stars have successfully ended their activities for the “2011 K-Pop Music Fest in Sydney” and have returned to Korea on November 13 through Incheon Airport. 

Stars who have attended are: DBSK, SNSD, Kara, SHINee, 2AM, CN Blue, BEAST, 4minute, SISTAR, Secret, MBLAQ, and miss A. 

The artists looked pretty tired but that didn’t stop them from decking out in their best fashion. Some stars such as miss A’s Suzy and Secret’s Jun Hyo Sung exhibited great confidence as they didn’t even use a mask or sunglasses to hide their makeup-less faces.

Stay tuned for the “2011 K-Pop Music Fest in Sydney,” which will air on December 3 and check out the photos below!

Sometimes, comfort beats all – Goo Hara is dressed down with a plain hoodie, leggings, sneakers and a beanie. And of course, shades to cover her makeup-less face. Check out that army camouflauge laptop case!

Kara’s Han Seung Yeon looks like a college student here carrying a laptop in her arms with a simple, oversized sweater and leggings.

Park Gyu Ri’s shirt makes it look like she is on flames – perfect for her strong, goddess-like image.

Kara’s Kang Ji Young is covered from head to toe with a large khaki green parka, striped tights and red shoes.

Kara’s Nicole is shy and bows her head in what looks like a custom made hat with her name studded on it.

miss A’s Jia blings out with a metallic gold shirt and short shorts. 

miss A’s Suzy exhibits high confidence as she flahses a full-frontal grin at the camera.

Where are your pants, Suzy? Suzy shows off her long legs with the trending “bottomless look.”

miss A’s Min sports a funky, coloful sweater and black shorts.

MBLAQ’s Mir throws up a peace sign and shows off his popularity with all the gifts he received.

The boys of MBLAQ.

SISTAR’s Bora in a unison color scheme – her furry boots look really warm (and ouch, look at those scars on her legs).

SISTAR’s Soyu in a stylish, khaki cropped suspender pants with funky yellow shades.

Hyorin doesn’t want to be photograpphed! She’s wearing a comfortable looking sweater and jeans with a funky patterned bag.

SISTAR’s Dasom looks sophisticated with her polka dot scarf and sea green bag.

2AM’s Seulong emerges in a black outfit.

Jinwoon in a simple demin shirt paired with a leather jacket, holding a box of donuts!

2AM’s Changmin dressed casually in gym shorts and a track jacket.

Secret’s Han Sun Hwa in a classic white t-shirt and black leggings, enjoying some iced coffee!

Jun Hyo Sung also confidently showed off her makeup-less face.

Secret’s Zinger shows her funky side by chosing an exotic print shirt and two different shoes!

Song Ji Eun looks great in a soft blue shirt and waist high shorts.

CN Blue’s Jungshin looks long and lean from any angle!

From the unapologetic fanaticism that is often connected with hallyu (the recent spread of Korean culture around the globe), it is almost as if the K-pop factor just fell onto the South Korean government’s lap, eagerly waiting to be used as an instrument for expanding soft power and cultural engagement with the world.

For a small country with humble beginnings, South Korea is now under the global spotlight in myriad ways. Just this week Google revealed its latest mission to set up a YouTube channel exclusively for K-pop. Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman at Google, visited Seoul to meet with President Lee Myung-bak as well as a slew of top executives at several major IT organizations in order to gain support for this project.

The K-pop sensation burst onto the already-existing Asian pop music scene years ago, but its carefully organized system of matching good looking young singers (now often bilingual in English, Japanese, or Chinese — and chosen in order to enter those respective markets) with globally-attractive dance beats and ballads has clearly been adopted as the au courant choice of dance/pop style not only within Asian borders but in the Western sphere as well.

Distant Europe, South America, and the Middle East may be some of the genre’s most surprising fan bases, but even last month’s sold-out Madison Square Garden K-pop extravaganza in New York City is testament to this phenomenon. And recently on MTV.com, the most viewed article on the site was actually about K-pop group Girls’ Generation — not Jay-Z, Kanye, or Robert Pattinson.

In recent years, even I have noticed the increasing amount of strangers I meet (both Asian and non-Asian) who become keenly interested in me once they confirm my Korean background: What is Seoul like? Do I watch Korean movies? What are my favorite Korean foods? Who are my favorite music groups, and have I met any of them? (Quite a big change from my early childhood in the suburban Midwest where many people would take the liberty of assuming I was Chinese!)

As an avid cultural traveler, I truly appreciate these conversations with so many individuals who are utterly fascinated with Korean culture. While I do not believe that this is the sole result of K-pop music’s popularity, the initial platform of these early dialogues are usually based upon either Korean pop music or Korean films (quickly followed up by Korean food, education, and plastic surgery).

Undoubtedly there are skeptics of K-pop’s global influence and utility as a soft power tool — but I find such hesitation towards this cultural explosion to often: a) stem from a limited racial approach to the subject, and b) originate from taste levels so mainstream that there is little chance for awareness of trends and cultural currents not yet adopted by big corporations and media.

But the era of questioning K-pop’s relevance is ultimately in the past, whether you are a fan or not. Once the figures at MTV and Google are on board a trend, said trend is no longer cutting-edge, obscure, nor underground or peripheral. This large scale cultural appropriation is precisely what drives the already huge K-pop machine to continue its global expansion as well as share its benefits with other South Korean enterprises, such as the nation’s tourism industry.

South Korea, though historically conservative, has ultimately embraced this flashy and creative culture. The progressive utilization of this kind of soft power by a small and usually traditional government will also be a fast track pass to engage with masses of young people all over the world based upon what they are truly interested in. Governmental cultural diplomacy can sometimes come off as forced or out-of-touch, but K-pop is an authentic reflection and spectacle of youth culture that is impressively close to the pulse of the “global cool.”

Follow Linda Constant on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/lindaconstant

Girl band 2NE1 (Yonhap News)YG, third entertainment agency to be listed on KOSDAQ,
attracts 3.6 trillion won in IPO

The recent success of YG Entertainment and other listed Korean entertainment agencies in the stock market is an indicator of the growing influence of Korean pop music at home and abroad, analysts said Wednesday.

YG Entertainment drew more than 3 trillion won in its initial public offering this week, receiving bids for 561 times the number of shares allocated to individual investors.

The company, which produced popular boy group Big Bang and four-member girl group 2NE1, priced its shares at 34,000 won ($33) each, meaning it could raise 42.4 billion won based on the 1.25 million shares it plans to sell. The company plans to list its shares on Nov. 23.

Although the recent scandal involving the use of marijuana by G-Dragon, the popular leader of Big Bang, had been a concern, investors apparently had faith in the overall stability of the firm’s earnings as it prepares to do more business overseas, analysts say.

YG Entertainment lowered the indicative range for its IPO in October after G-Dragon tested positive for marijuana use.

YG Entertainment is the last among the country’s top three entertainment companies to be listed on the stock market following SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.

Shares of bigger rival SM Entertainment have nearly tripled in value this year, while the broader market saw a loss of 4.3 percent, as Girls Generation and other popular boy bands saw success in countries such as Japan. 

Yang Hyun-suk
Founded by Yang Hyun-suk, YG Entertainment’s performers have been sweeping the charts at home and abroad with the total views of all YG-related videos on Youtube hitting more than 400 million. Yang is currently the biggest shareholder of the company with a 47.4 percent stake.

The company said the proceeds from the IPO would be used in discovering and training more rookie musicians by setting up overseas branches in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Singapore.

Along with Big Bang and 2NE1, YG also has Se7en, Psy, Gummy, Tablo and many other star musicians who enjoy strong popularity at home. With these musicians, the company is considered a “blue chip” with sales last year hitting 44.8 billion won, and a net profit of 10 billion won.

YG Entertainment also boasts a clean record in its contracts with musicians, unlike its rivals SM and JYP, which have been mired in contract disputes in recent years.

Recently, all five members of Big Bang and solo artist Se7en extended their contracts for another five years without raising any issues, showing their faith in YG founder Yang, who was formerly a member of a popular band himself in the 90s.

By Shin Hae-in  (hayney@heraldm.com)