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Bang Si-hyuk
South Korean music executive (born 1972) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Bang Si-hyuk (Korean: 방시혁; born August 9, 1972), also known as "Hitman" Bang, is a South Korean music executive, record producer and songwriter who is a founder of the record label Big Hit Music and the chairperson of HYBE Corporation. One of the 50 wealthiest people in South Korea according to Forbes Asia, Bang is the only billionaire in the South Korean entertainment industry. By July 2021, his reported net worth was an estimated $3.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
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Early life and education
Bang was born to Bang Geuk-yoon, former president of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Corporation at the Korea Social Insurance Research Institute,[1] and his wife, Choi Myung-ja.[2] Bang has a younger sister.[3]
Bang developed a passion for music from an early age, having grown up in a musical home, but was discouraged from pursuing a career in the industry by his parents.[4][5] Bang formed a band with his friends while in middle school and wrote and performed songs he composed.[2][6] He attended Kyunggi High School before graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in aesthetics.[7]
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Career
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Bang debuted as a composer while in college.[7] In 1994, he won the Yoo Jae-ha Music Contest and began his career in earnest writing and producing songs.[8] He met Park Jin-young in 1997, and the pair often partnered together as a songwriting duo. When Park founded his company JYP Entertainment, Bang joined him as a composer, arranger and producer.[5][9][10] One of their early successes was the first-generation group g.o.d.[9] Some of g.o.d's most famous songs arranged by Bang include "One Candle" and "Road". Bang's stage name "Hitman" originated from this period, when g.o.d enjoyed success as one of the country's best-selling and most popular boy bands of the early 2000s, earning himself and Park a reputation as "hit makers".[9][11] Besides g.o.d, Bang has produced or composed for many other artists, including veterans Im Chang-jung and Park Ji-yoon, singer-actor Rain, groups Wonder Girls, 2AM, and Teen Top, and R&B singer Baek Ji-young.[9][11][12]
In 2005, Bang left JYP and founded his own company, Big Hit Entertainment, where he continued to write, compose and produce for its artists.[11][13] Under the Big Hit label, he signed up RM, at age 15, who would go on to lead the boy band BTS.[14] He co-wrote six songs for BTS in their 2016 album Wings. Its success garnered Bang the Best Producer Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and the Songwriter Award at the Melon Music Awards that year. In June 2018, he was named one of Variety's International Music Leaders due to BTS' achievements.[15]
In April 2019, Bloomberg estimated Bang's worth to be about $770 million.[16] The BigHit initial public offering (IPO) filed in October 2020 was the largest seen in South Korea in three years and skyrocketed Bang's net worth to $2.8 billion,[17][18] making him the only billionaire in South Korea's entertainment industry and the sixth-richest person in the country.[19][20][21] The success of the IPO, together with the commercial success of BTS that year, Bang's steps into diversification with apps like Weverse, and acquisitions of companies like Source Music and Pledis Entertainment among others, landed him on the 2020 edition of Variety's Variety500, an annual index of the 500 most influential business leaders in the global media industry.[22][23]
In June 2021, Forbes Asia published its annual list of Korea's 50 Richest People. One of only two newcomers to the ranking, Bang was listed as the 16th richest person in South Korea.[24][25] On July 1, following an organizational restructuring, HYBE Corporation announced Bang's resignation as CEO of the company to return his focus to music production. He was replaced by Park Ji-won, but retained his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors.[26][27] According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bang is worth an estimated $3.2 billion as of July 2021.[28]
Bang was featured on the cover of the April 2022 issue of Time magazine, together with BTS, following the release of the outlet's annual list of the 100 Most Influential Companies in March.[29][30] Later that month, he received an honorary doctorate in Business from Seoul National University—he is the first figure in the entertainment industry to be awarded such—in recognition of his "contribution to the development and innovation of the nation's cultural and entertainment industry" and for his "role in turning K-pop into a global pop music culture".[31]
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Other activities
Philanthropy
In October 2022, Bang donated 5 billion won (approximately $3.5 million) to the Community Chest of Korea.[32]
On February 17, 2023, Bang donated 200 million won through Save the Children to help in the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.[33]
Legal issues
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In December 2024, it was reported that Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) had begun investigating whether Bang Si‑hyuk, chairman of HYBE, had engaged in secret shareholder agreements with major investors—STIC Investments, Estone Equity Partners, and New Main Equity—without notifying other shareholders or financial authorities. The inquiry centered on allegations that these undisclosed contracts were used to mislead investors into believing that Hybe would not pursue an initial public offering (IPO) in 2020, thereby allowing certain parties to profit unjustly from the subsequent listing.[34]
By May 28, 2025, the FSS concluded its probe and officially referred Bang to prosecutors, asserting that the evidence supported potential criminal charges under South Korea's capital markets regulations.[35] On the same day, investigative reports suggested that Bang had allegedly misled shareholders in 2019 by denying IPO plans while preparing for the listing, profiting via a profit-sharing deal with private equity funds—and that the proceeds, estimated at approximately ₩400 billion (US$349.67 million), had not been disclosed.[36]
In June 2025, law enforcement agencies — including the Seoul Metropolitan Police's Financial Crimes Investigation Unit — sought search warrants for Hybe's headquarters in connection with the investigation. Prosecutors, however, rejected these requests twice, citing overlapping jurisdiction with the FSS and raising concerns about investigative duplication.[37]
On July 16, 2025, the Securities and Futures Commission—a subdivision of the Financial Services Commission—formally referred Bang to prosecutors for investigation on suspicion of unfair or deceptive trading related to Hybe's IPO. Bang and three other executives had allegedly influenced early investors to sell shares prematurely to entities under their control, later profiting at the public offering.[38]
The following week, on July 24, authorities executed a raid on HYBE's Yongsan headquarters as part of the ongoing probe into the alleged share manipulation and IPO fraud.[39]
Meanwhile, on August 6, 2025, Bang provided his first direct public response to the investigation. In a company-wide message, he stated that he had already offered a comprehensive explanation to the FSS, and pledged full cooperation moving forward. He expressed his belief that the truth would be revealed, and acknowledged the personal and professional burden the investigation had brought to the company and the industry at large.[40]
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Production discography
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Lyrics and composition
Recognition
Awards
Listicles
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References
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