YG Entertainment Shares Fall on Reports of Copyright Investigation Involving G-Dragon and Yang Hyun-suk

YG Entertainment’s stock price declined on news that singer G-Dragon and the company’s executive producer Yang Hyun-suk are under police investigation over alleged copyright infringement. This comes after the entertainment agency had been riding a six-day winning streak on the back of strong Q2 earnings.

As of 9:22 a.m. on the 13th, YG Entertainment was trading at ₩97,200, down ₩4,900 (4.80%) from the previous session. After opening slightly lower at ₩102,000, the stock dipped to an intraday low of ₩97,100, marking a 4.89% decline.

The drop comes in contrast to the company’s recent strong performance. On August 8, YG announced it had returned to profitability in Q2, posting ₩100.4 billion in consolidated revenue and ₩8.4 billion in operating profit. Net income came in at ₩11.2 billion, also turning positive year-on-year. On August 12, the stock hit a 52-week high of ₩104,900.

According to police sources, Seoul’s Mapo Police Station launched an investigation after receiving a complaint in November last year from composer A, who alleged that G-Dragon and Yang Hyun-suk violated copyright law by reproducing one of his works without authorization and distributing it as part of an album.

YG Entertainment has denied the allegations. In a statement cited by Ilgan Sports, a company official said, “This stems from a 2009 solo concert, when two songs with the same title were mistakenly listed in the setlist. It is not a case of unauthorized album reproduction.”

Police have reportedly conducted interviews with related parties and carried out two raids on YG Entertainment’s headquarters as part of the investigation.

Date: 2025-08-13

Reporter: 이주원