Kim Soo Hyun's Gold Medalist controversy: Agency faces scrutiny over revenue distribution and hidden ownership

When Kim Soo Hyun completed his mandatory service in 2019, he chose a new beginning with Gold Medalist, a freshly launched agency. Though the official shareholder on record is Barun No.

2 Investment Association, industry insiders revealed that the agency's true operator is Kim's older brother, singer Lee Sarang, whose legal name is Lee Roobe. While Kim co-founded the company and maintains minor shares, he has focused exclusively on his acting career, leaving management to Lee. Gold Medalist quickly attracted talents such as Seo Ye Ji and the late Kim Sae Ron, marking an ambitious debut lineup.

Unusual ownership traces

Investigations into the agency's ownership structure have highlighted controversial ties.

Barun No. 2 Investment Association has been linked with a KOSDAQ-listed education firm, nicknamed G, that reportedly faced probes for suspected stock manipulation and tax evasion. Though G denied the allegations, Sisa Journal reported that its shadowy connections have raised questions. Even the company's registered office in Seongbuk-gu appeared questionable: a small three-story building with laundries and tool shops on the ground floor, offering little sign of housing a major Hallyu star's agency.

Record revenue, modest payments

Despite its humble exterior, Gold Medalist has scored massive commercial success. In 2024, tvN's hit drama 'Queen of Tears' turned into a global sensation, placing Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won at the forefront of the Korean Wave's new chapter. Kim signed 16 endorsements with brands such as Prada and Homeplus, and agency revenue surged beyond KRW 20 billion. Yet, financial reports indicated payouts to actors that year totalled only KRW 270 million (INR 16.5 million), with accumulated payments since 2020 amounting to just KRW 670 million (INR 41.2 million).

Industry analysts say this figure falls well below the norm, as agencies typically return up to 90% to their stars.

Sharp contrast with other agencies

Compared to peer companies, the gap is glaring. EDAM Entertainment, representing IU, paid out KRW 33.6 billion (INR 2.05 billion) in 2024 alone, while ADOR distributed KRW 23.8 billion (INR 1.45 billion) among NewJeans members, averaging over KRW 9.3 billion (INR 570 million) per member in just two years. Even Hook Entertainment, despite internal financial disputes and reported losses, returned nearly 79% of sales to artists. Against this backdrop, Gold Medalist's disproportionate spending patterns-where entertainment and meeting costs sometimes exceeded payouts to talent-have sparked intense debate about its financial transparency.