KHS Agency Partners with Lee Young-ae, Hwang Jung-eum and Cube Entertainment, Setting a New Paradigm for Korea's Entertainment Industry

[Sportschosun Ahn So-yoon] KHS Agency, Korea's first Hollywood-style total talent agency, has built a strategic collaboration network with clients and corporate partners across a range of fields ahead of its first anniversary.

KHS has assembled a broad lineup that includes actors such as Lee Young-ae, Choi Myung-gil and Hwang Jung-eum, singers such as Ok Joo-hyun, Bada, Hong Jin-young and Luna, as well as directors Im Soon-rye, Lee Byung-hun and Son Jae-gon, writers Jo Yoon-young and Jo Myung-jin, and expert celebrities including No Hee-young, Ko Deok-ho and Olivia. It has also formed partnerships with leading Korean entertainment companies such as Cube Entertainment and KPlus, while pursuing global business aimed at expanding domestic and overseas project sales and maximizing IP value.

▶Turning public figures into fully developed IP beyond artists

What sets KHS apart is that it does not limit its clients to traditional artists such as actors and singers. KHS views public figures across society, including directors, writers, creators, intellectuals, expert celebrities, influencers and business leaders, as IP. By providing comprehensive strategic solutions covering global expansion, contract negotiations, PR, image branding and risk management, it aims to maximize individual career value and earnings through a total agency service.

▶A two-track agency model that works in partnership with existing management companies

The core model proposed by KHS is a two-track structure that works alongside existing management agencies. Rather than replacing the role of an existing agency, it divides responsibilities to create synergy. In the case of actress Lee Young-ae, for example, her one-person management company handles day-to-day entertainment activities and on-site management, while KHS takes charge of agency functions such as global expansion, IP business, image management and risk control. The model is drawing attention in the industry because even artists who already have agencies can receive specialized support in global business, contracts and IP management through separate agreements with KHS.

▶Serving as a business hub through a global network

KHS is also actively expanding services for corporate clients. Along with major domestic entertainment companies such as Cube Entertainment and KPlus, it is bringing in a wide range of management firms, production companies and brand companies as clients. Through collaboration with them, as well as its network of global agencies and entertainment companies, KHS serves as a hub that connects clients to overseas expansion, global campaigns and IP-based content development.

▶CEO Kang Ho-sung: "We will set a global standard for K-entertainment with a win-win agency model"

Kang Ho-sung, CEO of KHS and a former CEO of CJ ENM and entertainment lawyer, emphasized, "KHS aims for a win-win collaboration model that maximizes client value by combining each party's expertise rather than competing with existing management agencies."

He added, "We will build a total agency system so that public figures in various fields, including actors, singers, directors, writers, business leaders and intellectuals, can operate strategically in both domestic and overseas markets." He continued, "By connecting professional networks at home and abroad, we will create new business opportunities for K-content and K-talents and establish a standard collaboration system that works in the global market."

KHS plans to further expand collaboration with artists, creators, expert celebrities and corporate partners across the board. By doing so, it aims to stand alongside global talent agencies and solidify its unique total talent agency model, drawing industry attention to its next moves as it drives new growth in the K-entertainment market.

Ahn So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com