YG’s Yang Hyun-suk sentenced to six months in prison and one year of probation for coercion in iKON’s B.I. drug case

On July 18, 2025, K-media Chosun Biz reported that South Korea’s Supreme Court (Justice Ma Yong-ju) confirmed a jail sentence for YG Entertainment’s lead producer, Yang Hyun-suk. He receives six months in prison with one year of probation for pressuring a witness in a drug case involving one of YG’s artists.

The case dates back to 2016, when former trainee Han Seo-hee (alleged by Korea Times) was questioned by police for drug use. During questioning, Han alleged that iKON member B.I (real name Kim Han-bin) had tried to purchase illegal substances. Yang was afterward charged with summoning the trainee to YG’s headquarters and convincing them to retract the complaint.

In May 2020, Yang Hyun-suk was formally charged without being held in custody. Prosecutors claimed that he leveraged his position to sway the trainee’s statement, hindering the legal process.

In December 2022, the initial court ruled in Yang’s favor, saying there wasn’t enough evidence of a direct threat. However, prosecutors petitioned for the judgment.

In November 2023, the appeals court overturned part of the ruling. While it dismissed the charge of threatening retaliation, it found Yang guilty of pressuring the witness. The court noted that the meeting happened under coercion due to Yang’s authority in the industry.

Yang appealed again. However, the Supreme Court upheld the earlier ruling, affirming the six-month jail sentence with a one-year probation. The court found no legal errors in the appellate judgment. This closes a years-long legal dispute involving claims of drug use, intimidation, and interference tied to YG Entertainment's leadership.

---

Yang Hyun-suk accepts the Supreme Court’s final guilty verdict, vows to act more carefully

On July 18, South Korea’s top court found YG Entertainment’s founder, Yang Hyun-suk, guilty after nearly six years of legal proceedings. Though earlier rulings cleared him of initial accusations, the Supreme Court sided with prosecutors on a modified charge. Soon after the judgment, Yang responded through YG.

“I feel regretful about the Supreme Court’s ruling, but I humbly accept it, he said."

He continued:

"Regarding the ‘revenge threat’ crime for which I was initially indicted, I was found not guilty in both the first and second trials, but during the second trial, the prosecution changed the facts of the indictment to the unfamiliar crime of ‘coercing a meeting,’ and so after a long legal debate of 5 years and 8 months, I ended up receiving the final ruling from the Supreme Court.”

The 55-year-old added that he intends to return to his work with more caution.

"I will devote myself to my original duties with a more careful and responsible attitude in the future,” he noted.

---

On June 14, 2019, Yang Hyun-suk withdrew from all positions at YG Entertainment (including CEO) following mounting controversies. After a hiatus, he officially returned in February 2023 as the label’s Chief Producer.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay