Gold Medalist

Gold Medalist (골드메달리스트) is a Seoul-based talent management agency founded in 2019 by industry veterans Lee Sa-rang and Kim Mi-hye, headquartered in Seongdong-gu. Built on a boutique philosophy, the company runs a compact, selective roster on the premise that fewer clients means better careers. The agency is best known as the home of Kim Soo-hyun, one of Korea's highest-earning actors, and Seol In-ah (설인아), who broke through in the 2022 SBS drama Business Proposal. Their current roster also includes Choi Hyun-wook, Lee Jong-hyun, Kim Su-gyeom, Kim Si-eun, and Song Ga-yeon, spanning drama leads to rising character actors. Beyond management, Gold Medalist has a production arm. The company co-produced It's Okay to Not Be Okay (tvN, 2020) and One Ordinary Day (Wavve, 2021), both critically praised. The dual mandate of management and production is central to the company's long-term value proposition for its artists. In March 2025, the agency became the center of a major controversy when allegations emerged that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with actress Kim Sae-ron that began while she was a minor. Gold Medalist issued multiple statements denying the framing of events, but the fallout was immediate: Disney+ halted production on the drama Knock-Off, brand partners distanced themselves, and Kim's commercial standing took significant damage. The agency's crisis response was closely scrutinized, and the episode raised pointed questions about overreliance on a single flagship client. Gold Medalist operates with a management-first ethos: long-term career architecture over short-term bookings. In a Korean entertainment industry driven by agency scale and idol factory output, it has carved out a distinct position as the agency of choice for actors who want serious hands-on attention.