[Direct Interview] YANG HYUN SUK Says, “The Transfer of Preemptive Rights to New Shares? Because We are YG Family”

[일간스포츠 이경란] In the afternoon on the 8, a fresh news attracted attention. Eighteen YG Entertainment artists including PSY and BIGBANG became YG’s shareholders. It has become possible as YG’s head producer Yang Hyun Suk and CEO Yang Min Suk transferred 81,400 new stocks among new stocks to which they had the pre-emptive rights as major shareholders, to YG artists and actors. There have been some cases where entertainers became shareholders of their management company, but it is the first-ever case in Korea’s entertainment industry that an entertainment company’s major shareholder and CEO transferred their preemptive rights to new shares to their artists.

After the release of the news, DailySports had a hard-won interview with Yang over the phone. He began the interview by modestly saying that he just did what he has to do and went on, “YG’s growth was all possible because YG artists did their best, so I think it is only natural to give a good opportunity to our singers who have been creating good contents with their affection for the company”. Then, he added, “I’m dreaming of nurturing YG into a creative and healthy company and making it stand on the center of the world’s music industry one day”.

– You have transferred your preemptive rights to new stocks to YG singers.

“For a long time, I have used the word YG Family. It may sound too obvious, but YG could achieve the success because our artists gained fans’ love and trust for their good music. We had the good opportunity of recapitalization just in time, so I thought I should care more about our singers by taking that opportunity”.

– We hear lots of news that you own the largest amount of stocks among individual entertainers.

“I know. When I hear such a remark, I feel embarrassed and awkward. I’ve never thought of YG’s shares as my private property. You may think it is odd, but it is more appropriate to say that YG is a community that I make and develop with our artists.

Someone said “In our lives, our money is something that we keep just temporarily”. It really hit home to me. In the end, nobody can bring his money to the next world after he dies.

I began my career as a member of Seo Taiji & Boys in 1992 and since the team retired in 1997, I have nurtured many junior artists and YG. Because of that, many people see me as a self-made businessman, rather than as a member of Seo Taiji & Boys. In fact, it would be a lie if I say that I’m not interested in money, but I’m not doing YG for money.

Sometimes, I see news that says I’m a ‘real estate money bag’. Before the listing of YG, I purchased some real estates out of necessity, but I’ve never resold them so far. In other words, I’ve never purchased those real estates for the purpose of speculation or marginal profits.

Now I’m so busy just creating good music with our singers and after the listing of YG, It’s harder because I feel more burden and heavy responsibility to protect shareholders’ interests, too. So, I don’t have time to have interest in real estate investment now.”

– You’re also greatly contributing to the globalization of K-Pop.

“I’m doing this job just because I love it. But with the recent spread of K-pop in the world, I naturally feel more patriotism.

I’m not saying that I’m a big patriot, but now I have a bigger duty and sense of responsibility that I should do a really good job, as long as I’m doing it. Needless to talk about PSY, BIGBANG and 2NE1 have grown into world-class singers who can now hold world tours. I want to make better contents continuously, to let more people in the world know the excellence of Korean singers and contents.”

– AKMU has recently released their debut album.

“When AKMU, the winner of last year’s “K-Pop Star”, selected YG as their label, I was really thankful and happy, but on the other hand, I was worried, too. They had the innocence and their style was wholly different from that of YG’s music. So, I left the music 100% to AKMU themselves and the company just supported them and did the PR behind them. I came up with that kind of perfect division of labor. You know, AKMU can’t do the promotion for themselves.

The album is so good as I expected it to be. Personally, I feel like reading a really good book of poetry when I listen to AKMU’s music. Whenever I read their lyrics, I’m just surprised and think ‘how come did they get this kind of idea’. In ‘Melted’, there’s lyrics ‘The blue see where the red Sun washed its face turns black’, which sounds like poem, and AKMU’s album is full of such beautiful words which I can’t believe to have been created by teenagers. But when I meet them in the office, they are just pure and innocent kids. As a producer, frankly, I want to keep their outstanding creativity and innocence as they are.”

– AKMU is successful on music charts in and out of the country.

“That was possible 100% by AKMU themselves. It did not come from YG’s abilities, but from the power of AKMU’s music. A hit song can be created by the power of its label, but such a hit is short-lived and I don’t think that is a good was of promotion. The essence of an artist is his music and only when the essence is good, a good promotion is possible.

When I appeared in “Healing Camp”, I was asked how many percent among Seo Taiji & Boys’ popularity was from me, and I answered that it was 1%.

My choreography can shine on the stage only after there is good music. People are now tired of cookie-cutter music of all those similar idol groups and in this situation, AKMU’s music can heal those tired people. I believe that AKMU’s music is a healthy and healing music like simple ‘organic music’.”

– “K-Pop Star” you’re appearing recently has the final competition this week.

“I really can’t predict who will win.

Bernard Park and Sam Kim will compete in the final. In season 1, Lee Hi and Park Ji Min were the finalists and in season 2, AKMU and Bang Ye Dam competed in the final. The finalists for this season have totally different qualities from past finalists, and looking at them, I often think that the future of Korea’s contents industry is so bright.”

– The distinctive commentary of the three judges is also drawing much attention.

Park Jin Young and Yoo Hee Yeol are artists who have learned music professionally much more than I did. So, I try to judge from the perspective of the public. We see different aspects in contestants, so we produce different commentaries. As a producer, I think that the most important thing is the ‘feel’.

Since music is not like an exam paper that we can answer logically or as learned in class, the ‘feel’ to win the heart of the public is one of the most important elements.

– You are at the center of K-POP. What do you think the future of K-POP will be like?

“Looking at new contestants of “K-Pop Star” every year, I think the future of K-POP is very bright.

The Korean people really have amazing talents. Throughout the history of Korea’s pop music, Korean music has never enjoyed a bigger popularity in other countries than it does now. Since I think now is the beginning, a bigger and bigger market will be open to K-POP. Then, K-POP may command the music business of the world five years or ten years later. Like, for example, PSY’s Gangnam Style that nobody expected to create such a big hit.

That is why we should make more efforts now, and as one of the producers of Korea’s music contents, I want to do my best until the day K-POP takes the lead in the music market of the world. Maybe, that is my end goal.”

– This is the news that fans are waiting for most eagerly, how is BIGBANG’s comeback progressing now?

BIGBANG said in their concert that they will release a new album in this summer.

Just like fans, I’m also waiting for BIGBANG to make good music. YG does not set a certain term and force artists to create an album within the term. I left my office at 4am today, and then I saw G-DRAGON writing songs in a studio. I will support them and wait for them until they finally produce good songs.”

2014. 4. 9.