YG Entertainment's Yang Hyun-suk Found Guilty of Coercion in Drug Case

Yang Hyun-suk, the chief producer of YG Entertainment, was confirmed guilty by the Supreme Court on July 18, 2025, for coercing a whistleblower in a drug investigation involving a member of his agency's idol group, iKON. The court sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year.

The Supreme Court's ruling upheld a previous decision by the appellate court, which found Yang guilty of violating laws against specific crimes, including coercive threats and forced meetings. Yang was accused of pressuring a whistleblower, referred to as A, to retract statements regarding drug use allegations against former iKON member B.I (Kim Han-bin).

In 2016, A, a trainee at YG, initially reported B.I's drug use during a police investigation. However, A later retracted the statement, leading to the closure of the police inquiry into B.I. Afterward, A reported to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission that Yang had pressured him to change his testimony, prompting a renewed police investigation. B.I was subsequently charged with drug purchase and use, receiving a sentence of three years in prison, suspended for four years.

Investigations revealed that Yang had pressured A with statements like, 'What if B.I tests negative for drugs?' and 'If you become a singer, I can help you.' Initially, Yang was acquitted of coercive threats in the first trial, which concluded that while he had pressured A, it did not amount to threats that instilled fear.

However, the prosecution appealed, adding charges of coercive meetings, arguing that Yang had exploited his position as the head of a major entertainment company to demand A's retraction. The appellate court ruled that while Yang was not guilty of coercive threats, he was guilty of coercive meetings, leading to the six-month prison sentence with a one-year suspension. The court noted that Yang's actions were serious given his social status and influence.

Following the ruling, Yang expressed disappointment but stated he would accept the decision humbly and commit to his responsibilities at YG Entertainment moving forward.