BH Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment agency founded by actor

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...

and his long-time manager, Son Seok-woo, in 2006. Initially established as a one-man agency for the management of Lee's activities, the company has since grown to manage many actors throughout Asia. Since 2018, BH Entertainment has been operating as a subsidiary of

Kakao Entertainment Kakao Entertainment Corp. () is a South Korean entertainment, mass media, and publishing company founded in 2021. A subsidiary of the Internet company Kakao, it was established subsequent to the merger of the latter's two subsidiaries KakaoPa ...

. The company is home to many prominent actors in the South Korean entertainment industry, including Lee Byung-hun,

Han Hyo-joo Han Hyo-joo (; born Han Ji-yeong, February 22, 1987) is a South Korean actress. She gained wide recognition with the back-to-back successes of '' Brilliant Legacy'' (2009) and ''Dong Yi'' (2010), both of which were massive hits with high viewe ...

Go Soo Go Soo (; born October 4, 1978), also known as Ko Soo, is a South Korean actor. He has appeared in television series such as ''Piano (TV series), Piano'', ''Green Rose'' and ''Will It Snow for Christmas?'', as well as the films ''White Night (200 ...

Han Ga-in Kim Hyun-joo (), better known by the stage name Han Ga-in (), is a South Korean actress and model. She starred in television series ''Yellow Handkerchief'' and ''Terms of Endearment'' early in her career, and became a sought-after model in com ...

Han Ji-min Han Ji-min (; born November 5, 1982) is a South Korean actress. After minor roles in ''All In (TV series), All In'' (2003) and ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003–2004), Han had her breakout role in revenge series ''Resurrection (2005 TV series), Resurrec ...

Park Hae-soo Park Hae-soo (; born November 21, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known worldwide for portraying Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix hit series ''Squid Game'' (2021), which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy A ...

Lee Ji-ah Kim Ji-ah (; born Kim Sang-eun, August 6, 1978), better known by the stage name Lee Ji-ah, is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame with her role in the television drama'' The Legend'' (2007), and has since further participated in '' Beetho ...

Kim Go-eun Kim Go-eun (; born July 2, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film '' Eungyo'' (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her roles in the television series '' Cheese in the Trap ...

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (; born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and '' Ditto'' (2000). In the succeeding ...

Lee Jin-wook Lee Jin-wook (; born September 16, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame with leading roles in the romance series '' Glass Castle'' (2008–2009) and '' I Need Romance 2012'' (2012), before gaining wider recognition with his role in th ...

Park Jin-young Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...

, and

Park Bo-young Park Bo-young (; born February 12, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in the hit films '' Scandal Makers'' (2008), '' A Werewolf Boy'' (2012) and '' On Your Wedding Day'' (2018), and the television series ' ...

History

2006–2007: Formation

Prior to the establishment of BH Entertainment, actor

was under the agency Player Entertainment. During this time, his popularity had spread throughout Asia and he frequently had activities overseas, particularly in Japan. On July 18, 2005, Player Entertainment was fully acquired by Phantom Entertainment Group, which transferred Lee's management to them. Despite being under one of the top management agencies at the time, it was reported that Lee was dissatisfied with their management of his activities both within South Korea and overseas. In 2006, nearing the end of his exclusive contract with Phantom and desiring more liberty in decisions regarding his activities, Lee founded BH Entertainment with his long-time manager and former director of Player Entertainment, Son Seok-woo, who was appointed

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

. Son had been working as Lee's manager since late 2001 and is widely credited for helping Lee achieve

Hallyu The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K- ...

star status. The company's name derives from the initials of Lee's first name, but is also now synonymous with the company's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

"Be Happy". Lee invested in annual operating expenses for the company. In calculating the costs of starting his own agency, Lee determined that there would be no loss in his investment as he would have to give (or 20% of his annual income of ) regardless if he were signed to a large entertainment agency. The company started out hiring five employees for Lee's management, including accounting, marketing and PR experts, domestic and international agents, and field managers. Among them was Song Wan-mo, who was appointed vice president of BH Entertainment and Lee's international agent. Song had been in charge of Lee's activities in Japan since 2002. By early 2007, it was widely reported that Lee would be leaving Phantom with the expiration of his exclusive contract and by March 2007, Lee's activities were being conveyed through BH Entertainment. Soon after, BH Entertainment began their expansion to the management of other artists. In April 2007, South Korean-American actress and model Ursula Mayes signed a contract for the management of her South Korea and Asia activities with BH Entertainment as the first artist alongside Lee Byung-hun at the company. That same year, Vantage Holdings acquired shares in BH Entertainment in addition to entertainment agency, Byulnan Actors.

2008–2017: Expansion

In 2008, BH Entertainment merged with Byulnan Actors, transferring the management of other actors to the company, including

Han Chae-young Kim Ji-young (; born September 13, 1980), professionally known by the stage name Han Chae-young, is a South Korean actress. She first gained recognition as the antagonist in the television series '' Autumn in My Heart'' (2000) before gaining wid ...

Jin Goo Jin Goo (; born July 20, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He won Best Supporting Actor at the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards for his role in Bong Joon-ho's 2009 film noir, noir thriller (genre), thriller ''Mother (2009 film), Mother ...

, and

Bae Soo-bin Bae Soo-bin (; born Yoon Tae-wook on December 9, 1976), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas ''Brilliant Legacy'', ''Temptation of an Angel ''Temptation of an Angel'' () (also known as Angel's Temp ...

. This expanded the company's management to approximately ten celebrities. Alongside this, the company was actively scouting for new artists to sign, such as

Hyun Jyu-ni Hyun Jyu-ni (born August 1, 1985), previously known under the stage names Juni or Ju-an, is a South Korean singer, actress, and musical actress. Career Hyun Jyu-ni debuted as the frontman of the four-member girl rock band BellaMafia, which rele ...

and

Hong Ah-reum Hong Ah-reum (; born March 28, 1989) is a South Korean actress. Hong made her entertainment debut in 2006 through a MapleStory commercial, then launched her acting career. She has made herself known as one of the most familiar faces in Korean te ...

. In 2009, BH Entertainment would begin to establish itself as an agency housing top stars with the success of its current artists and by signing exclusive contracts with popular actress Kim Min-hee, who was gaining traction overseas, and then-rising actress

. In 2011, CEO Son Seok-woo discussed BH Entertainment's rapid success, emphasising a customised management system for their artists' individual needs. He cited the company's current plans to not exceed the management of ten artists in ensuring quality over quantity in their specialised management of their actors. On November 6, 2011, Apex Law Firm announced that they had signed a legal advisory contract with BH Entertainment. On September 24, 2012, BH Entertainment announced that they would be producing the stage play adaptation of Lee Byung-hun's recently released film ''

Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerades may refer to: Books * ''Masquerade'' (book), a 1979 children's book by Kit Williams that sparked a worldwide treasure hunt * ''Masquerades'' (novel), a 1995 Forgotten Realms novel by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb * ''Masq ...

'', with it set to open on February 23, 2013, at Dongsoong Art Center's Dongsoong Hall in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. This marked the company's first production project. Later that year, BH Entertainment secured their highest profile artist yet, signing an exclusive contract with actress

, who was being highly sought out by numerous entertainment agencies with the expiration of her previous agency's contract. The company would continue to acquire many in-demand and notable celebrities, including

and former

Wonder Girls Wonder Girls () was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in February 2007 with the single "Irony (Wonder Girls song), Irony" and 5 members: Park Ye-eun, Yeeun, Sunye, Sunmi, Hyuna, and Ahn So-hee, Sohee. Aft ...

member

Ahn So-hee Ahn So-hee (; born June 27, 1992), known mononymously Sohee, is a South Korean actress and former singer. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. She is best known for her performance in the film ''Train to Busan'' ( ...

. In 2014, concerns about the state of the company's future began to arise with the company seemingly being unable to retain its artists through contract renewals. This was exacerbated with comparisons to actor

Bae Yong-joon Bae Yong-joon (; born August 29, 1972) is a South Korean businessman and former actor. He has starred in numerous television dramas, including, notably, ''Winter Sonata'' (2002), which became a major part of the Korean Wave. Bae retired from a ...

KeyEast KeyEast (; stylized in all caps) is a management agency founded by actor Bae Yong-joon. History In May 2009, KeyEast acquired Japanese company () () and made it an affiliated company. After the acquition by SM Entertainment, it was renamed Stre ...

, who was finding success in contract renewals with its top stars. Many notable actors had left BH Entertainment at the expiration of their contracts, including

, Kim Min-hee, and

. Fortunately, they were able to maintain top actresses

, and

, alleviating looming concerns about the company's management. Artists who had previously left the company, Go Soo and Ahn So-hee, would eventually re-sign with the company. In 2017, BH Entertainment would focus on expanding their management to artists from other Asian countries. On September 27, 2017, they announced that they had signed an exclusive contract with

Yu Xiaoguang Yu Xiaoguang (; born 16 May 1981), also known as Ethan Yu, is a Chinese composer and actor. Yu is a former swimmer and sprint canoer. In 2006 he made a crossover from sports to films. Yu made appearances on many television series, most notably ...

, their first Chinese artist. The following month, they signed a contract with their first Japanese artist,

Erika Karata is a Japanese model and actress associated with FLaMme and BH Entertainment. In 2014, she debuted as a model, and in 2017, she began a concurrent modeling and acting career in South Korea. Notable film and television projects that Karata has sta ...

. That same year, BH Entertainment signed a content production agreement with

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

for the United States and Asia. From the agreement, BH Entertainment stated plans to partake in active content businesses through its collaboration with Sony Pictures Television, such as

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

s of works between the two countries and producing original dramas in the overseas content market. This agreement was set to make BH Entertainment a key player in the domestic and international media industry and help them make active and aggressive global advancements as a company.

2018–present: Kakao M acquisition

On June 27, 2018,

Kakao M Kakao M Corp. (; formerly Seoul Records, YBM Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment) was a South Korean entertainment company established by Min Yeong-bin in 1978. It was one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company opera ...

announced that they had acquired 30% of BH Entertainment's shares. By January 2019, Kakao M had completed its full acquisition of BH Entertainment. On November 12, 2019, BH Entertainment announced that they would be purchasing a new office building in Nonhyeon-dong worth approximately for their headquarters. For the purchase, they conducted a

paid-in capital Paid-in capital (also paid-up capital and contributed capital) is capital that is contributed to a corporation by investors by purchase of stock from the corporation, the primary market, not by purchase of stock in the open market fro ...

increase by issuing 14,815 new shares. While Kakao M injected into the company for the building purchase, BH Entertainment stated that the amount would be allocated to facility funds and that they were planning to use all of the funds raised through the capital increase to purchase the new building. In 2021, with the merger of Kakao M and

KakaoPage KakaoPage () is a monetized content platform optimized for mobile devices, launched by Kakao Corp. in 2013 and currently owned by its subsidiary Kakao Entertainment. The service launched on April 9, 2013, as a digital content marketplace, allowin ...

into

, BH Entertainment became a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

of Kakao M's division at Kakao Entertainment, M Company. In 2022, BH Entertainment co-produced the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area'' with Zium Content (now High-Zium Studio). In 2023, they co-produced the film ''

Concrete Utopia ''Concrete Utopia'' () is a 2023 South Korean disaster-thriller film directed by Um Tae-hwa, who wrote the screenplay with Lee Shin-ji, based on the second part of the webtoon ''Pleasant Outcast'' by Kim Soongnyung. It stars Lee Byung-hun, Park ...

'' with Climax Studio.

Artists

Actors

(2007–present) *

Sean Richard Dulake Sean Richard Dulake (born June 9, 1984) is an American actor and director. Early life Dulake was born on June 9, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, to a British father and Korean mother. He studied theatre arts and business at Boston University. H ...

(2010–present) *

(2011–2015) (2017–present) *

Lee Hee-joon Lee Hee-joon (; born June 29, 1979) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition portraying a minor character in the television series '' My Husband Got a Family'' (2012). Lee is best known for the films '' 1987: When the Day Comes'' (20 ...

(2014–present) *

(2016–present) *

Park Sung-hoon Park Sung-hoon (; born February 18, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He started his acting career with a small role in the film ''A Frozen Flower'' (2008). He became known through the plays Rooftop Room Cat, The History Boys, and Model Students. ...

(2016–present) *

(2017–present) *

(2018–present) *

(2019–present) *

Jung Woo Kim Jung-guk (; born January 14, 1981), known professionally as Jung Woo (), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the drama '' Reply 1994'' (2013) and '' You Are the Best!'' (2013). Career Jung Woo made his acting debut ...

(2019–present) * Jo Bok-rae (2019–present) * Joo Jong-hyuk (2020–present) * Kil Eun-sung (2020–present) *

(2021–present) *

Jang Dong-yoon Jang Dong-yoon (; born July 12, 1992) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his Leading actor, leading roles in the popular television series ''School 2017'' (2017), ''The Tale of Nokdu'' (2019), ''Search (South Korean TV series), Searc ...

(2024–present) * Jo Beom-gyu (2024–present) * Kim Eun-ho (2024–present)

Actresses

(2009–present) *

(2012–present) *

(2013–present) *

(2014–2015) (2018–present) *

Choo Ja-hyun Chu Eun-ju (; born January 20, 1979), known by her stage name Choo Ja-hyun (), is a South Korean actress. Best known in Korea for the films '' Bloody Tie'' (2006) and ''Portrait of a Beauty'' (2008), Choo has also actively worked in China since 2 ...

(2016–present) *

(2017–present) *

(2017–present) * Park Ji-hu (2019–present) *

(2020–present) *

Jung Chae-yeon Jung Chae-yeon (; born December 1, 1997), known mononymously as Chaeyeon, is a South Korean actress and singer. She is a member of the girl group DIA (group), DIA and former member of a project girl group I.O.I, having finished 7th in the survi ...

(2022–present) *

Cho Hye-jung Cho Hae-jung (; born December 22, 1992) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her role in 2017 TV series ''Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo''. Early life and education Cho was born to Cho Jae-hyun and his college sweetheart on December 2 ...

(2022–present) *

Park Yu-rim Park Yu-rim (, born February 6, 1993) is a South Korean actress and model. Park began to make her name known through her film debut role Yuna in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's film '' Drive My Car''. Previously, Park played supporting roles in television d ...

(2022–present) * Hong Hwa-yeon (2022–present) *

Park Seo-kyung Park Seo-kyung (; born on October 18, 2009) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2019 television series ''Possessed''. She is known for her role in historical drama ''The Red Sleeve'' as Hong Dan, and later as Royal Noble Con ...

(2023–present) *

Keum Sae-rok Keum Sae-rok (; born September 6, 1992) is a South Korean actress. After appearing in a number of Television advertisement, television commercials and short films, she had her first feature in mainstream films, ''The Silenced'' (2015), and gain ...

(2024–present) * Kim Si-a (2024–present) * Jeon So-young (2024–present) * Jung Ho-yeon (2025–present)

Former artists

* Ursula Mayes (2007) * Kim Hyung-jong (2008–2009) * Kim Jung-heon (2008–2011) * Kim Min-hee (2009–2012) * Song Ha-yoon (2008–2013) *

(2008–2013) *

(2008–2014) * Lim Hwa-young (2013–2015) *

Lee Won-keun Lee Won-geun (born June 27, 1991) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in the 2012 popular historical television drama ''Moon Embracing the Sun ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (, also known as ''The Moon that Embraces the Sun'' or ''T ...

(2012–2015) * Ha Yeon-soo (2012–2015) *

Shim Eun-kyung Shim Eun-kyung (; born May 31, 1994) is a South Korean actress. She starred in the box office hits '' Sunny'' (2011), ''Miss Granny'' (2014) and '' Fabricated City'' (2017), as well as television series '' Naeil's Cantabile'' (2014). She has st ...

(2013–2015) *

Dong Ha Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Person names Surnames * Dǒng (surnam ...

(as Kim Hyung-gyu) (2012–2016) *

(2008–2017) *

Jang Young-nam Jang Young-nam (; born November 25, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as an acclaimed actress in theater, then transitioned to supporting roles on television and film, notably in works by director Jang Jin. A member of Jang J ...

(2016–2018) * Heo Jung-do (2016–2018) *

Yang Ik-june Yang Ik-june (born October 19, 1975) is a South Korean actor and film director. He is best known for the 2009 film '' Breathless'', which he wrote, directed, edited, and starred in. Career Born in Seoul in 1975, Yang graduated from the Departme ...

(2018–2019) *

Byeon Woo-seok Byeon Woo-seok (; born October 31, 1991) is a South Korean actor and model. He debuted as a model in 2010 and walked the runway during the 2015 F/W Men's Fashion Show. Byeon transitioned into acting with supporting roles in dramas, notably '' ...

(2017–2020) * Park Jung-woo (2018–2020) *

Gong Seung-yeon Yoo Seung-yeon (; born February 27, 1993), better known by the stage name Gong Seung-yeon (), is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in the film '' Aloners'' (2021) and television series such as ''Six Flying Dragons'' (2015� ...

(2018–2020) *

(2008–2020) *

Kim Yong-ji Kim Yong-ji (; born April 14, 1991) is a South Korean actress. Her first appearance was in the period drama '' Mr. Sunshine'' (2018) and she is best known for her role in ''Tale of the Nine Tailed'' (2020). Personal life She was born in Ansan ...

(2017–2021)

Production

Released

Undated

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Facebook, bhent Talent agencies of South Korea Entertainment companies established in 2006 Kakao subsidiaries Kakao Entertainment Kakao M Privately held companies of South Korea