The A to Z of HYBE Corporation: How the South Korean Entertainment Giant is Taking Over the Music Industry

For Rolling Stone Explainer’s fifth installment, we asked HYBE’s Global CEO Lenzo Yoon to break down the label’s artist development process, marketing strategies and business expansion

- Riddhi Chakraborty and Divyansha Dongre

Over the past few years, the world has been enraptured with the rise of South Korean pop titans BTS. The seven-member group have made their mark as one of the most important musical acts of our time, and their rise fueled the success and eventual worldwide expansion of their label HYBE Corporation (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) and its numerous subsidiaries. What was once a company on the verge of bankruptcy is now one of the leading names in South Korean entertainment and a rising power in global pop culture — it’s staggering to comprehend, but fascinating to map.

HYBE Corporation’s Global CEO Lenzo Yoon–who has been with the company since 2010 — joins Rolling Stone India for an in-depth breakdown of their artist recruitment and development process, marketing strategies and global business expansions.

Where it all began