SM-YG-KEYEAST etc. form single talent agency

Bae Yong-joon (left) and Park Jin-young [10Asia]

Six major talent firms in Korea have come together to form an agency named United Asia Management (UAM).

A press release on Friday announced that AM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, KEYEAST, SM Entertainment, Star J Entertainment and YG Entertainment will jointly establish UAM, aimed at creating exchange and cooperation, and a casting system within Asia.

The six agencies currently manage some of the biggest names in the Korean entertainment scene: AM Entertainment, actors Jang Dong-gun and Hyun Bin; JYP Entertainment headed by singer-producer Park Jin-young, artists 2PM and Wonder Girls; KEYEAST headed by actor Bae Yong-joon, actors Kim Hyun-joong and E Ji-ah; SM Entertainment headed by Lee Soo-man, artists TVXQ and Super Junior, Star J Entertainment, actors Soo Ae and Kim Nam-gil; and YG Entertainment, artists Big Bang and 2NE1.

UAM will act as the global agency for the singers and actors under the six talenthouses, as well as manage and build a database system, and carry out business in video content production such as films and dramas.

The new firm will also act as the agency for celebrities outside the six firms, helping them in their endeavors in Asia, and raise its level of efficiency by sharing the overseas business networks they each hold, the statement explained.

UAM set to be led by Star J Entertainment chief Jeong Young-beom, is aiming for establishment by the end of this month.

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Jessica Kim jesskim@