YG Entertainment

YG Entertainment (와이지 엔터테인먼트) is one of South Korea's Big Four entertainment companies, founded in March 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk and his brother Yang Min-suk. Yang Hyun-suk had been a member of Seo Taiji and Boys, the group credited with transforming Korean pop music in the early 1990s by introducing hip-hop, rock, and electronic production into a market that had been dominated by trot and ballad forms. When Seo Taiji and Boys disbanded in 1996, he channeled that background directly into YG's founding philosophy. The label's first act was the hip-hop trio Keep Six, and that hip-hop DNA has run through every generation of YG artists since. YG's early roster built its reputation through acts including Jinusean, Gummy, Wheesung, and 1TYM. Sechs Kies launched in 1997, followed by a long succession of acts that kept the label relevant across generational shifts in K-pop. Epik High joined in 2012, and PSY's "Gangnam Style" became a global phenomenon in the same year. BIGBANG debuted in 2006 under YG and became one of the most commercially successful K-pop acts in history. 2NE1 followed in 2009. AKMU, the sibling duo, signed after winning a competition program. BLACKPINK, debuted in 2016, became the label's commercial peak: four members who individually and collectively broke streaming records, commanded global stadium tours, and secured luxury brand partnerships at a scale no K-pop act had previously reached. The group renewed their YG group contract in 2023 while members pursued individual deals elsewhere. Yang Hyun-suk resigned as head of content in 2019 following controversy, and his brother Yang Min-suk stepped back from operations as well. Hwang Bo-kyung was appointed CEO in 2020 and has overseen the label's current structure. YG's active roster in 2026 includes BLACKPINK, TREASURE, BABYMONSTER, and WINNER. The label operates YGEX in Japan and holds equity stakes in subsidiaries including THE BLACK LABEL.