| Alias: | YG | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 9 January 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse: | Lee Eun-ju (2010) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children: | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known For: | Co-founding YG Entertainment | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yang Hyun-suk (born January 9, 1970[1]) is a South Korean music executive, rapper, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys during the 1990s. After the group disbanded, he founded and became the executive producer and chairman of YG Entertainment, the fourth-largest record company in South Korea.
See main article: Seo Taiji and Boys. Seo Taiji & Boys was formed in 1991 with Seo Taiji, Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-seok. Yang said he first met Seo when the musician came to him to learn how to dance when Yang was a dancer (Yang danced in the Korean dance crew "Spark"(which is considered the first Korean breaking dance group) and in the dancing group " and friends").[2] "Blown away" by his music, Yang offered to join the group and they later recruited Lee who was one of the top dancers in Korea.[3] The group was influential on the Korean music scene, famous for their single, "Nan Arayo" ("I Know"). The group received criticism for some of their albums, most notably for the song, "Shidaeyugam" ("Regret of the Times"), to which fan backlash led to the abolition of the Pre-censorship law in 1996. The group disbanded in 1996 and each member went on to pursue solo careers.
See main article: YG Entertainment. In 1996, he established YG Entertainment and released his first solo album which featured a song composed by Seo Taiji. This was their first collaboration since the breakup. Yang Hyun-Suk has produced hugely successful artists through his company, most notably Jinusean, 1TYM, Wheesung, Gummy, Seven, Big Bang, 2NE1, Winner, iKon, Tablo, Epik High, Lee Hi, Blackpink, Treasure, BabyMonster and Psy.
Due to recent controversies involving the Burning Sun scandal and other allegations, Yang Hyun-suk announced his plans to step down from all of his positions at YG Entertainment, and his brother Yang Min-suk announced his decision to resign as CEO of YG Entertainment on June 14, 2019.[4] [5]
On December 22, 2022, Yang was acquitted of a charge of threatening an informant.[6] On November 8, 2023, his aquittal for threatening the informant was overturned by the Seoul High Court, finding that he had abused his status at the company to coerce trainees into reversing police testimonies.[7] He was sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 1 year. A previous aquittal for blackmail was upheld.
In December 2023, Yang discussed his "deep involvement in every aspect of BABYMONSTER's production", and how the youth of the members resonated with him because he had a similarly-aged daughter.[8] In May 2024, YG Entertainment released a video featuring Yang announcing upcoming plans for BabyMonster and Treasure.[9]
Yang began dating former Swi.T member Lee Eun-ju in 2001, and they married in 2010.[10] They have two children together, born in 2010 and 2012.[11] [12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Superstar K | Himself | Judge | [14] |
| 2011 | K-pop Star 1 | Judge for YG Entertainment | [15] | |
| 2012 | K-pop Star 2 | [16] | ||
| 2013 | K-pop Star 3 | [17] | ||
| Win: Who Is Next? | YG Entertainment CEO, Director | |||
| 2014 | Mix & Match | |||
| K-pop Star 4 | Judge for YG Entertainment | |||
| 2015 | K-pop Star 5 | |||
| 2016 | K-pop Star 6 | |||
| 2017 | Mix Nine | Judge | [18] | |
| 2018 | YG Future Strategy Office | Recurring character | ||
| 2018 | YG Treasure Box | Judge | [19] |