K-Pop's Big Four Gear Up for 2025 Amidst Challenges

As the new year of 2025 begins, K-Pop continues to dominate the global music scene, despite facing controversies such as album manipulation and tampering. The industry's major players—HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment—are strategizing on how to navigate the ongoing K-Pop crisis.

HYBE had a tumultuous year in 2024, marked by the departure of former Adore CEO Min Hee-jin and the group NewJeans. However, the return of BTS (방탄소년단) is set to change the landscape. BTS, recognized as a 'world-class' group, has consistently topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts with both group and solo releases, and their world tours have generated massive revenue. In 2022, their concert revenue was estimated at around 246.4 billion KRW, excluding merchandise sales, indicating even higher actual earnings.

BTS is expected to make a full group comeback in the second half of 2025, despite recent controversies surrounding member Suga. Analysts predict that their return could lead to approximately 1.87 trillion KRW in album, digital, and concert sales, boosting HYBE's operating profit by 80% compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN will see members like Jeonghan and Hoshi enlist for military service, but they plan to fill the gap with unit and solo activities. Other groups like TOMORROW X TOGETHER (투모로우바이투게더), ENHYPEN, and LE SSERAFIM are also on the rise, with two new girl groups debuting from Source Music and Pledis, solidifying HYBE's position as the agency with the most active artists in Korea.

SM Entertainment is preparing for a significant leap as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. After overcoming internal conflicts, SM has successfully launched 'SM 3.0', introducing new groups like RIIZE and NCT Dream. The company has also showcased its strength by hosting 340 world tours for its artists.

In January, SM will celebrate its anniversary with a live concert and introduce a new girl group for the first time in five years since aespa's debut. aespa has quickly become a flagship IP for SM, achieving critical acclaim and commercial success with their 'SYNK' trilogy. The anticipation for the new girl group is high, with fans eager to see their concept and lineup.

JYP Entertainment has reported record earnings, with a revenue of 170.5 billion KRW and an operating profit of 48.4 billion KRW in the third quarter of 2024. The success of artists like Stray Kids, TWICE, and ITZY has contributed to this growth. In January 2025, JYP will debut a new boy group called Kickflip, formed through the SBS show 'LOUD'. The group aims to break new ground in the industry.

JYP is also shifting its focus towards the Chinese market, with plans to launch services on the Dear U Bubble platform in collaboration with Tencent Music.

YG Entertainment, which has faced significant challenges in recent years, is seeing a resurgence thanks to the anticipated full group comeback of BLACKPINK in the second half of 2025. They are expected to release a new album and embark on a global tour, following the success of their previous tours and member Rosé's recent hit single 'On The Ground'. YG is also preparing to debut new groups in Korea, Japan, and Thailand, aiming to expand its artist lineup and stabilize its operations.