On May 20, Starship Entertainment announced the acquisition of acting agency, King Kong Entertainment. King Kong Entertainment currently represents top actors including Kim Bum, Kim Ji Won, Lee Dong Wook, Lee Kwang Soo, Park Min Woo and Yoo Yeon Seok.
A report published in the business section of Hankooki analyzed the economic impact of the acquisition while providing a statement from a representative at Starship Entertainment. "We have signed a strategic partnership alliance contract, which followed the acquisition of 100 percent of the shares held by King Kong Entertainment," said a representative for Starship Entertainment.
The representative went on to highlight the benefits of the merger, which unites some of Korea's top actors with leading K-pop vocalists. Starship Entertainment is home to Sistar, Boyfriend, K.Will and the rookie group, Monsta X. In 2014, the agency experienced widespread success with comeback releases including the infectious track "Some" from Soyou and Junggigo. Starship Entertainment also served as the Korean representative agency for the male group, UNIQ.
The merger follows an April 2015 announcement highlighting a partnership between Starship and China's Yueha Entertainment. Yueha represents UNIQ and other top Mandopop artists including former Super Junior-M member Hangeng. As a member of China Film Group, Yueha is involved in the upcoming Hollywood co-production "Marco Polo," which stars Hayden Christensen. The project will serve as his first major film project since appearing the 2010 movie, "Takers."
"Marco Polo" was rumored to mark the Chinese directorial debut of "My Love From the Star" director Jang Tae Yoo. In 2014, Jang took a leave of absence from SBS to embark on an exclusive 5-year contract with Yueha, following the success of "My Love From the Star." However, the Hollywood Reporter recently announced that Rob Cohen would be the lead director of the upcoming 3D film.
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About the writer: Adrienne Stanley is a contributing writer for Kpopstarz, KDramastars, MTV Iggy and CJ Entertainment's KCON blog. Her passions include a love of K-pop and Asian drama. When she is not writing she is hanging out on Twitter (@retrogirladdy).
