iNKODE Entertainment

iNKODE (인코드 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean record label and entertainment agency founded in May 2023 by CEO Noh Hyuntae and Kim Jaejoong, the former TVXQ and JYJ vocalist widely regarded as one of K-pop's most influential first-generation idols. The name, chosen by Jaejoong from over 50 candidates, fuses "in" and "code" to evoke the idea of embedding artistry into the DNA of the artist. The label's flagship project, INTHE X, brought together 11 male trainees from Japan, China, and Korea under one pre-debut collective starting in 2024. On February 25, 2026, iNKODE officially announced these trainees would debut as two separate groups: KEYVITUP, a five-member group (Taehwan, Hyunmin, Sena, Jaein, Rukia) targeting an April 2026 debut, and VAY ONN, a six-member multinational group (Masato, Sen, Sun Jiayang, Peng Jinyu, Teru, Mano) targeting a June 2026 debut. Both groups pre-debuted through fan meetings and the INTHE X Fortune Tour in January 2026, with an Epilogue fan meeting following in February 2026. The back-to-back debut timeline positions iNKODE to launch two acts within a single year, leveraging two years of pre-debut community building. With Jaejoong's involvement as both executive and mentor, iNKODE occupies a unique position as an artist-led label in the fourth-generation K-pop landscape.