Photo: YONHAP News
Big Hit Entertainment Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, who raised the world-class group BTS, and CJ Vice Chairman Lee Mi-kyung, who contributed to the production of the movie “Parasite,” were listed for the first time on the list of 500 world entertainment industry leaders selected by the American entertainment media variety.
According to Big Hit on the 29th, Chairman Bang was selected as the’Variety 500′ released by Variety on the 23rd.
‘Variety 500’ is a list of 500 most influential leaders in the global media industry by Variety and released every year since 2017.
Variety said, “If you don’t know the Korean boy band BTS, where on earth did you live?” He said, “Dynamite” Billboard single chart No. 1, and online concerts to establish a Guinness record, and BTS’ achievements this year.
However, the media said, “We acquired Pledis Entertainment, Source Music, and game company Superv, and expanded our business by advancing into the technology field through’Weverse’, a fan community. It was promoted.”
He added, “40% of the top 100 sales of Korean album sales in the first half of this year were the works of Big Hit Labels artists, and when the company was released last October, the value of the Big Hit company recorded about 8 trillion won.”
In this year’s’Variety 500′, Lee Soo-man, the general producer of SM Entertainment, was also listed again.
This producer has been on this list for the fourth year since 2017.
Variety evaluated that the producer produced Korean idol groups such as HOT based on long-term contracts and comprehensive training, and later made TVXQ and EXO successful in Asia and the United States.
He added, “These days when Big Hit’s BTS is in the spotlight, this producer showed off a Super M called’K-Pop Avengers’,” he said. “As the father of K-pop, his influence is still great.”
In the field of film, CJ Vice Chairman Mi-kyung Lee was newly on the list under the English name’Miky Lee’.
Vice-Chairman Lee currently stays in the US and leads CJ’s global cultural business.
Variety introduced that Vice Chairman Lee produced the movie’Parasite’ and introduced K-pop to the United States through’KCON’ held in Los Angeles and New York.
K-Con is a Korean Wave concert hosted by CJ.
He also referred to Lee as the granddaughter of the founder of the Samsung Group, and evaluated that he established the first multiplex theater in Korea in 1998 and worked hard to produce Korean films such as Park Chan-wook’s’Old Boy’ and Bong Joon-ho’s’Snow Country Train’.
Variety said of Vice Chairman Lee, “We own a $4.1 billion entertainment empire and are committed to promoting Korean films, music and culture around the world.”
Director Bong Joon-ho was also on the list for two consecutive years following last year.
Variety evaluated that’Parasite’ directed by Bong was the first foreign language film to receive the Best Picture Award in the 100-year history of the Academy Awards, and set a historic record by winning an Oscar in three categories besides the Best Picture.
At the same time, he referred to Bong as a director who solves social problems through his own drama, and introduced that he became an icon of Korean films after’Memories of Murder’ (2003).
In addition, Oh Seok-geun, Chairman of the Film Promotion Committee, was also selected as 500 people for three consecutive years from 2018.
Variety evaluated that Chairman Oh established an online ticket reservation system for independent theaters and launched Indie Ground, a center responsible for distribution of independent films.