Who is Bang Si-hyuk?

Bang Si-hyuk, the 54-year-old chairman of HYBE, began his career studying aesthetics at Seoul National University. In 1997, he was recruited by JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young, where he spent his early years writing songs for various acts. Notable compositions by Bang include g.o.d's tracks, Park Ji-yoon's songs, and Rain's work before he went on to found Big Hit Entertainment in 2005.

After leaving JYP, Bang continued to compose hit songs for artists such as Baek Ji-young's "Like Being Shot By a Bullet" (2008) and 2AM's "Never Let You Go" (2010), establishing himself as one of South Korea's most sought-after composers prior to launching his own successful act.

In 2012, Big Hit Entertainment released their first girl group, GLAM, as a joint venture with Source Music, which disbanded in January 2015. However, BTS debuted in 2013 and quickly achieved global success, propelling the once small entertainment agency into the largest music company in the country. To accommodate its growth, Big Hit Entertainment expanded by acquiring Source Music in 2019, followed by Pledis Entertainment and KOZ Entertainment in 2020.

In 2021, Bang rebranded the conglomerate as HYBE and relinquished his role as CEO, taking on the position of chair of the board. Despite stepping down from day-to-day operations, Bang remains an integral part of HYBE's leadership.