Bang Si-hyuk

Bang Si-hyuk (방시혁), known as "Hitman" Bang, is the chairman of HYBE Corporation and one of the most consequential architects in the history of K-pop. Born August 9, 1972 in Seoul, he studied aesthetics at Seoul National University before winning the Yoo Jae-ha Music Contest in 1994 and launching a career that would reshape the industry.

Bang co-founded JYP Entertainment with Park Jin-young in the late 1990s, where he produced and wrote for g.o.d, earning the "Hitman" nickname after the group became one of Korea's biggest acts of the early 2000s. He also produced for Rain, Wonder Girls, 2AM, and Teen Top during this period. In 2005, he struck out independently, founding Big Hit Entertainment and signing a relatively unknown group in 2013 that would become the most consequential act in K-pop history.

BTS transformed Bang's boutique label into a global powerhouse. HYBE Corporation debuted on the KOSPI in October 2020, with Bang's net worth reaching an estimated $3.2 billion by 2021. He remains the only billionaire in the South Korean entertainment industry. HYBE's roster now spans SEVENTEEN, TXT, ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, and ILLIT.