Gong Yoo signs with EMI Japan to advance overseas

Actor Gong Yoo [N.O.A Entertainment]

Actor Gong Yoo has signed a contract with EMI Music Japan to further his activities there, notified his agency N.O.A Entertainment on Thursday.

N.O.A explained in a press release that Gong Yoo’s activities in Japan will now be managed by EMI Music Japan, one of the four major record companies in Japan that has newly expanded its business to manage the activities of actors as well.

EMI Music Japan, whose parent company is global music and record firm EMI Ltd based in the United Kingdom, is also known for managing the career of world-class musicians such as the Beatles, Utada Hikaru and Hotei Tomoyasu.

“Gong Yoo’s sweet charm displayed in 2007-drama ‘The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince’ is good enough to win the hearts of Japanese women. He already has many fans spread out far and wide in this country, which is only likely to go up in numbers with his latest film 'Finding Mr. Destiny' set for premiere soon, therefore, serving as a new boost to the Hallyu market,” an official at EMI Music Japan was quoted as saying.

“I plan to maintain a good partnership with EMI in order to extend exchanges with my Japanese fans. I wish to stay in touch with everyone not just with my work in Korea but through other diverse projects,” Gong Yoo wrote on his official Japanese fan website regarding his new contract.

Gong’s hit drama “Coffee Prince” about a guy who falls in love with a girl disguised as a boy is set for re-run on Japan's Fuji TV later this month while his 2010 film “Finding Mr. Destiny” in which he co-starred with actress Lim Soo-jung is set for premiere in the country on June 18.

Gong, 31, whose real name is Gong Ji-cheol, debuted with a role in KBS’ TV series “School 4” in 2001 and has since appeared in more than a handful of dramas including “One Fine Day” (MBC, 2006) and “Hello My Teacher” (SBS, 2005) and films “My Tutor Friend (2003),” “S Diary (2004)” Spy Girl (2004), “She’s On Duty” (2005) and "Finding Mr. Destiny" (2010).

His most recent project is a film titled “Dogani” (translated as ‘A Scene’), co-starring actress Jung Yu-mi, about an investigation into a sexual violence case committed to hearing-impaired students, which wrapped up filming early last month.

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