From left: Mike Van, President of Billboard; Yuna Kim, Publisher and CEO of Billboard Korea; and Shin Hyung-kwan, Head of Music Content at CJ ENM. (Photo courtesy of CJ ENM & Billboard Korea)

Billboard (US headquarters), Billboard Korea, and CJ ENM have signed a strategic business agreement (MOU) to expand the global influence of the K-pop industry.

According to Billboard and CJ ENM on the 19th, Mike Van, President of Billboard; Yuna Kim, Publisher and CEO of Billboard Korea; and Shin Hyung-kwan, Head of Music Content at CJ ENM, held an MOU signing ceremony at the CJ ENM Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul, the previous afternoon.

Through this strategic partnership, both companies will embark on the global expansion and popularization of K-pop.

Billboard Korea is the Korean branch of "Billboard," the most influential music entertainment media brand in the global popular music industry. It will officially launch in Korea with the publication of its inaugural issue, "Billboard K Vol. 1," in June.

 In particular, through collaboration with Billboard headquarters, they plan to publish digital pictorials of K-pop stars and organize performances.

CJ ENM has been striving to create an industrial ecosystem for K-pop, centered around the music channel Mnet. In 2009, it launched the Asian music awards ceremony, the "Mnet Asian Music Awards." In 2022, the ceremony was rebranded as the "MAMA AWARDS."

Mike Van, President of Billboard, stated, "The fact that CJ ENM's KCON and 'MAMA AWARDS' are excellent platforms that connect artists with global K-pop fans aligns with Billboard's direction. I have high expectations for the diverse partnerships our two companies will showcase in the future, such as discovering talented artists from around the world."

Shin Hyung-kwan, Head of Music Content at CJ ENM, commented, "This business agreement between leading Korean and American entertainment companies is highly significant in terms of accelerating the elevation of K-pop's status, which is rising globally."

Billboard has been focusing on collaborations with prominent K-pop entertainment companies, including signing a partnership with Kakao Entertainment on the 17th.

Source: ©NEWSIS

These are English translations of articles from our GTTOUR Japanese website.