[Only Soompi] Exclusive Look into YGE Headquarters!

Here it is—the palace, the mecca, the factory! Ever wonder what it’s like to be at the YG Entertainment (YGE) headquarters? Here’s the answer. Home to all of your favorite YG artists, the headquarters of YGE definitely has its own unique feel and vibe. Proudly dubbed as “the dream agency for any artist in the world,” YGE claims its HQ has the best facility designed to perfectly suit the needs of any aspiring musician. Not a lot of people get access to this sacred place. But Soompi, being the largest English community on Asian entertainment, got an exclusive look into the most successful hip-hop label in K-Pop history—and we’re here to share these hot photos with all the Soompiers! Hope you enjoy!

So this is what the building looks like. YGE moved into this new building less than a year ago in Feb. 2010. This six story-building has over ten recording studios and dance studios where all the YG artists like Big Bang, 2NE1, and Se7en get trained and groomed for every performance, album, and concert. YG currently has about 20 trainees from multiple countries, aged between early teens to early 20s.  

6^th FL: CEO’s Office/ Marketing and Accounting Departments

This is where the business gets done. YGE’s owner and master producer Yang Hyun Suk has his own office here right next to the marketing and accounting departments. The hallway looks super fancy with a whole wall dedicated to all the YG artists. Everything is so clean and neat, and the people are so professional, you can tell this is YGE’s headquraters. Our meeting took place at one of the conference rooms on this floor.

5^th FL: GYM/ Actors Mgt

Due to restrictions, we couldn’t take much photos on this floor. This picture of the gym is the only shot we got from the 5^th floor, but basically this is where the YG artists get their workouts done. A management office of all the YG artists is also located here, so pretty much all the planning and strategizing happens on this floor.

4^th FL: Manager’s Office/ Media Center

Again, due to restrictions, no photos from this floor. The manager’s office and media center are on this floor. These managers are the ones who travel with the artists 24/7, so a lot of scheduling takes place here. The media center is where the video editing takes place (M/V or DVDs, etc.) so I was really looking forward to seeing all the high-tech stuff, but we weren’t granted any access to that area. Boo!

No luck this time..maybe we’ll have better photos next time…down to the third floor.

2^nd and 3^rd FL: Recording Studio

This is the heart and soul of YGE. Two of their largest studios are located on this floor as well as a lounge where the artists can just rest and play around. Due to privacy issues, we only took limited number of photos here. But all the facilities, machines, and items were super high-tech, top-notch products. It gave me goose bumps just seeing the recording studio—my favorite 2NE1 girls probably spent hours in that room!

In the lounge area, there’s a pocket ball table and a large flat screen with a PS3, and a giant couch in the corner.

The wall was really cool with glowing LED titles of YG’s greatest hits. The overall color of the area was black, creating a chic, trendy feel. They even had a Segway parked in the corner, which I believe are the ones used in their MVs and the concerts. The interior and most of the items are hand-picked by Yang Hyun Suk himself (he must have really good taste).

B1 FL: Dance Studios and Cafeteria

YG prides itself in providing quality food and great amenities to their artists. We were able to actually try their food, and honestly it was way better than I thought! The food was very good, and what’s better, the menu changes every day! YG values loyalty and that’s what led the main chef to work here– she’s worked with Chairman Yang from his early career and he personally asked her to stay with him because he loved her food so much! The cafeteria was very clean and sanitary, and there were so much food and drinks available I could probably just spend the whole day here. This is also where the “Secret Big Bang (parody of Secret Garden)” video was filmed. Right next to the cafeteria, there are two huge dance studios, where I remember seeing in one of the YG YouTube clips. We did get some photos of the dancing studio, but there were so many trainees honing their dancing skills all day, we couldn’t take better shots. But I could totally see why so many people call this part of the building the “Factory.”

During our tour, the YG representative kept stressing their studio is specifically designed to provide the best possible work environment to all of its artists—and I could hardly argue with him. Everything from the studio, recording devices, food and drinks, tech gadgets, and even the smallest interior item were just off the chart and I couldn’t imagine any artist complaining about poor working conditions at this place. But that probably explains why we never really hear any complaints or contract disputes from YG artists. YGE is definitely a class organization and I hope to see them continue pumping out more quality artists and lead the K-Pop boom across the world.