YG’s ‘New Chapter’ Toward the Next 30 Years
[OSEN=장우영 기자] Celebrating its 30th anniversary, YG Entertainment is opening a bold new chapter toward the next 30 years. Moving forward with sharper and more grounded momentum than ever before, YG is determined to usher in a new era built upon its brilliant legacy and powerful future growth engines. At the center of it all stands the leadership of YANG HYUN SUK, YG’s Executive Producer and powerful control tower.
BIGBANG and BLACKPINK, Mega IPs and YG’s Flexible Solidarity and Planning Power
The so-called “cursed seven years” in K-pop has often been associated with group disbandment or hiatuses. However, YG has rewritten that narrative through flexible solidarity and strategic planning, supporting individual activities and solo label launches for its artists while cleverly maintaining the halo effect and synergy of YG as the foundation of each group.
At the center of this approach is YANG HYUN SUK, YG’s Executive Producer. While supporting individual careers and independent labels for group members, he has successfully preserved the YG identity and synergy that serve as the backbone of each act. One of the biggest talking points in the music industry this year, the “BIGBANG 20th Debut Anniversary Tour” project, fully demonstrates the power of YG’s originality. Likewise, although BLACKPINK members continue to expand their individual capabilities as global pop stars, the brand value they have built remains deeply connected to the YG system.
By moving away from blindly restrictive artist management and instead presenting an evolved model built on mutual trust and flexible solidarity, YG Entertainment has not only outlined the company’s next 30 years but also proposed a new direction for the K-pop industry itself.
TREASURE × BABYMONSTER, YG’s Present and the Core Engine Targeting the Global Market
Following the solid path paved by their seniors such as BIGBANG and BLACKPINK, TREASURE and BABYMONSTER are now sprinting forward as the present and future that YANG HYUN SUK, YG’s Executive Producer, is investing the most effort into.
Returning with their third mini album “CHOOM,” BABYMONSTER stands as one of YG’s core projects. The group placed extraordinary emphasis on performance, reportedly commissioning choreography from as many as 10 different teams. YANG HYUN SUK himself even directly participated in directing the choreography for the chorus, providing full-scale support throughout the process. As a result, BABYMONSTER has been rapidly gaining popularity across North America, China, Japan, and other regions worldwide, signaling strong potential for million-seller status while also building momentum for a new single release in June and their second world tour.
TREASURE, who will open a new chapter on June 1, aims to expand the powerful fandom they built through their Asia tour into the North American market. Having already secured a global distribution network through a partnership with major U.S. record label Columbia Records, YANG HYUN SUK expressed confidence, saying, “This is my favorite result among everything we’ve done so far.” As TREASURE is expected to inherit YG’s signature hip-hop DNA, the group is regarded as a key force connecting YG’s past, present, and future.
With YANG HYUN SUK stepping fully to the forefront, both the speed of decision-making and the continuity of projects have gained further momentum. Beyond simply drawing the big picture as the head of the company, YANG HYUN SUK has personally overseen everything from song selection and choreography composition to music video editing through what is described as “micro directing,” ensuring YG’s trademark high level of quality. Since every stage of planning and production passes through him, artists are able to focus solely on their music and performances without distraction.
Maximizing Label Synergy, A Roadmap for the Next 30 Years
YG’s roadmap for 2026 does not end here, and the vision of YANG HYUN SUK extends far beyond 2026 itself. YG plans to continuously inject new talent into the company by launching a new five-member rookie boy group scheduled to debut this September, along with the next girl group project known as the “NEXT MONSTER.”
Under the leadership of YANG HYUN SUK, each label and business division within YG is operating in close harmony like interconnected gears, generating synergy across the company. This includes the organic integration with YG PLUS, which handles music and album distribution as well as MD business operations, and independent labels such as YG Underground that continue to build their own identities while remaining connected under the shared musical orbit of the “YG Family.” The company’s performance proves this momentum, recording 147.1 billion KRW in revenue and 19.4 billion KRW in operating profit in the first quarter of this year, representing increases of 46.9% and 103.9% year-over-year, respectively.
Since its founding in 1996, YG has consistently led the Korean music industry with an unrefined raw charm and hip-hop aesthetics. In 2026, the year of its 30th anniversary, YG has completed preparations for a second leap forward that will lead the next 30 years powered by iconic IPs such as BIGBANG and BLACKPINK, healthy coexistence with its artists, global pop market expansion through TREASURE and BABYMONSTER, and a nonstop rollout of new lineups.
2026. 5. 19.
