Published : Sept. 23, 2013 - 20:23
Yang Hyun-suk. (YG Entertainment)
Yang Hyun-suk, former member of iconic idol group Seotaiji and the Boys and current CEO of YG Entertainment, is Korea’s wealthiest celebrity stockholder, according data published by the market research site Chaebul.com on Monday.
The site revealed that Yang’s shares were valued at 197.3 billion won ($183.4 million) as of last week, making him the richest celebrity shareholder.
As the head of one of Korea’s top three entertainment agencies, Yang has made a name for himself as one of the most sought-after talent agents who manages big-time local talents such as world-famous rapper Psy, as well as K-pop acts Big Bang, 2NE1 and rap trio Epik High.
YG Entertainment’s stock price soared 56.8 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. It is no coincidence that the jump in share prices followed local talent Psy making a shocking dent in the global music scene with his notorious “Gangnam Style” music video, which currently holds a number of Guinness Book of World Records, including the most-watched video on YouTube with more than 1.7 billion views.
CEO of SM Entertainment Lee Soo-man was ranked as the second-wealthiest celebrity stockholder with his shares valued at 157.6 billion won, while the entertainment agency’s stock values plummeted 62.9 percent in the first half on-year.
Far behind in the third slot is actor and founder of KeyEast Co. Bae Yong-joon ― famous for his roles in popular Korean dramas “Winter Sonata” and “The Legend” ― who owns stocks valued at 30.6 billion won.
Meanwhile, JYP Entertainment founder and CEO Park Jin-young finds himself standing in fourth place with his shares valued at 7.2 billion won.
By Julie Jackson (
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)