10. Pledis Entertainment
Han Sung-soo, the founder of Pledis Entertainment, launched the company in 2007. The company's headquarters are currently located in Seoul's Yongsan neighbourhood. Pledis' first K-pop group to debut was NU'EST in 2012, followed by another group called Seventeen in 2015, which included thirteen members. Hybe Labels (Big Hit Entertainment) currently owns the firm, but it operates as an independent label. Pledis business is home to four groups, including After School, Fromis 9, and actress Nana.
9. Woollim Entertainment
Lee Jung-yeop, the founder of Woollim Entertainment, founded the company in 2003. Woollim Entertainment is the parent business to groups: Lovelyz, Golden Child, Infinite, Drippin, and Rocket Punch. 2010 saw the launch of Infinite, the company's first group. It was amalgamated with SM C&C after ten years of operation. Lovelyz is the first girl group to debut under this label in 2014, followed by Golden Child in 2017, Rocket Puch in 2019, and Drippin in 2020.
8. Starship Entertainment
MONSTA X is a well-known entertainment ensemble. Kim Young-suk, Seo Hyun-joo, and Kim Shi-dae formed this entertainment firm in 2008. As a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment, this entertainment firm provides entertainment services. Girl group Sistar came first, followed by Boyfriend, MONSTA X, Cosmic Girls, and Cravity in the male category. King Kong manages actors by Starship, which is a division of Starship Entertainment. K.Will was the first solo artist, followed by Soyou, Jooyoung, Wonho, I.M, Yoo Seung-woo, Jeong Se-woo, and Brother Su. Boyfriend and Sistar are no longer active bands.
7. FNC Entertainment
Songwriter and record producer Han Seong-ho established FNC, which stands for "Fish and Cake," in 2006. FNC Music was the old name of his entertainment company, which is now known as FNC Entertainment. Both FNC B and FNC W are subsidiaries of FNC Entertainment in the year 2021. FNC B specializes in Trot music, while FNC W specializes in female group management and promotion. F.T. Island, CNBLUE, AOA, SF9, N.Flying, and P1Harmony are all part of this corporation. As part of the FNC W label, Cherry Bullet is a group. The entertainment firm also manages actors and actresses, as well as performers.
6. Cube Entertainment
Playcube Inc. was founded on August 29, 2006, now known as Cube, by Hong Seung-sung, a former JYP Entertainment president, and Shin Jung-hwa. 4Minute (a female group) and Beast (a boy group) were the first groups to debut under CUBE in the year 2009. BtoB, CLC, Pentagon, (G)I-DLE, and Lightsum are the groups that fall under Cube. The firm is also home to a large number of performers and entertainers that have worked with it. U-CUBE is the label's Japanese subsidiary.
5. Stone Music Entertainment
As of 2018, Stone Music Entertainment is the new name for the firm formerly known as Mediopia Media, Mnet Media, and CJ E&M Music. CJ ENM owns the firm, which got established in 1994. This firm has agreements and investments with Swing Entertainment, AOMG, Amoeba Culture, H1GHR Music, MNH Entertainment, Yuehua Entertainment, KQ Entertainment, and Jellyfish Entertainment. It now handles singers, including Wannabe, Davichi, Son Ho-young, Eric Nam, Fromis 9, Roy Kim, Hedy, and TO1. Wanna One and Iz*One are previous artists.
4. YG Entertainment
A few of the well-known performers that work for YG Entertainment are Big Bang, BLACKPINK, iKon, and Treasure. Yang Hyun-suk, a renowned performer in the 1990s, created this entertainment firm in the year 1996. Groups like Sechs Kies and Winner and numerous soloists ensemble in the organisation. At YG Entertainment, one finds the world-famous rapper Psy, well known for his hit “Gangnam Style.” This entertainment firm is well-known across the world and has a large number of subsidiaries.
3. JYP Entertainment
As a well-known musician and judge of television reality shows in the 1990’s, J.Y.Park founded JYP Entertainment in 1997 as a firm dedicated to the entertainment industry. The firm is now renowned across the world and is a multi-national entertainment enterprise. Many renowned artists’ groups of JYP Entertainment have been handled by JYP, such as 2PM, Day6, Twice, Boy Story, Stray Kids, Itzy, NiziU, 2AM, Miss A, and JJ Project. The entertainment also handled Wonder Girls, g.o.d, Got7. Pearl was the first female solo artist signed by the business in 1997. Rain joined with JYP, trained for two years, and made his debut in the year 2002. JYP Entertainment has branches in China, the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
2. SM Entertainment
Lee Soo-man started SM Studio in 1989, which is now known as SM Entertainment, in Seoul, South Korea. Shinhwa, Fly to the Sky, and soloist BoA were all established in 2000, following the formation of the boy band H.O.T. in 1996 and S.E.S a girl band. H.O.T and S.E.S, however, were disbanded at the beginning of 2000. TVXQ, previously a five-member boy group and currently a duo, made their debut in 2003, followed by The Grace and Super Junior in 2005, respectively. Girls' Generation debuted in 2007, Shinee in 2008, and f(x) debuted in 2009. As of 2012, SM created Exo, a boy group of twelve members with two units, Exo-K and Exo-M. A boy group with an infinite number of members, Neo Culture Technology (NCT), was launched by Lee Soo-Man in 2016. Additionally, SM Entertainment has created the groups Red Velvet (2014), SuperM, and Aespa for 2019 and 2020, respectively. SM has a large number of divisions and affiliates.
1. Big Hit Entertainment (HYBE Labels)
It was founded in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment, currently known as Big Hit Music, and managed by Hybe Corporation. The first BTS member to sign with Big Hit was RM. Then, in 2013, BTS made its debut on the music scene. BTS is a well-known and well-liked group worldwide, having a sizable fan base known as the ‘Army.’ Then, in the year 2019, TXT made its debut. Lim Jeong-hee, 8Eight, Glam, and 2 AM are all previous artists of the entertainment. The entertainment currently manages BTS, TXT, and singer Lee Hyun.
