South Korean entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment is to debut its long-awaited rookie idol band WINNER in August. 


WINNER, the five-member boy group unveiled by the agency in 2013, wrapped up its “WINNER WEEK” last Sunday with a sixth teaser video on the YG official blog that heralded the group’s debut on Aug. 1. 

The fledgling band has broadened its presence for the last three promotional weeks -- “TEST WEEK,” “NEW YORK WEEK” and “WINNER WEEK” -- while disclosing photo shoots taken in Korea and New York along with six teaser videos. 

The band was first introduced on the reality survival show titled “Who Is Next: WIN,” designed to pick out the members to form the male group WINNER.

During the program, Team A and Team B, composed of trainees under the label YG, vied for a chance to debut as a group this year. 

The victory went to Team A, which won three rounds of public voting. 

Team A, which is now the group WINNER, consists of Kang Seung-yoon, Song Min-ho, Nam Tae-hyun, Kim Jin-woo, and Lee Seung-hoon. Lee and Kang got off to a start on popular TV audition programs Superstar K2 and K-pop Star Season 1, respectively. 

WINNER is garnering a great deal of attention as it is the first male group launched by YG in eight years since K-pop mega-hit group Big Bang debuted in 2006.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)