2014 is a special year for YG Entertainment’s founder, YANG HYUN SUK, aged 44. It’s a year of challenge. The attention to K-Pop from the world is hotter than ever, thanks to the ‘PSY effect.’ Any competitive K-Pop contents can now be a global-hit. In a recent interview with Maeil Economy, YANG commented, “Now is the time with most opportunities for the Korean pop,” and added, “This year marks a watershed for YG.”
First, YG’s main singer BIGBANG and PSY are releasing albums in the first half of the year, while WINNER, AKDONG MUSICIAN, WIN’s B TEAM and a new girl group will all be making a debut. This is surely unprecedented. YG is even building two new training rooms for this. The lights at YG training rooms never dim. Last month, actor CHA SEUNG WON joined the agency, and YG plans to expand the company to actor management. YG will transform itself into a multi-entertainment agency that cuts across the two major pillars of the Korean Wave: K-Pop and K-Drama. YANG used to be an ‘owl,’ working throughout the night and going home in the morning. That’s all going to change. At the headquarters in Hapjeong, Seoul, the building holds a banner that reads ‘HAPPY 2014 YG YEAR.’ YG Family is determined. The interview was held at a filming site in Ilsan, Jang Hang-dong.