YOUNG K, YUQI
The KOREA MUSIC COPYRIGHT ASSOCIATION (한국음악저작권협회) (President CHOO GA-YEOL, KOMCA) announced on the 29th, via its official website, the list of 30 individuals promoted to full members for the year 2026.
Responsible for the trust management of authors’ economic rights for music creators in South Korea, KOMCA selects each year, in accordance with its regulations, promoted members from among associate members by comprehensively taking into account the length of membership and copyright performance. Members from all genres are included, encompassing popular music, children’s songs, religious music, and classical music.
The list of members promoted this year, made public by KOMCA, includes representative music creators combining popularity and artistic quality, such as YOUNG K of DAY6, YUQI of I-DLE, singer-songwriter STELLA JANG, as well as BAE CHUL SOO.
YOUNG K, a member of DAY6, is the creator who has led the group’s musical identity by writing and composing signature tracks such as “예뻤어”, “한 페이지가 될 수 있게”, and “Welcome to the show”, contributing to the popular expansion of band music. Within DAY6, recognized for its strong popularity based on original compositions, YOUNG K becomes the first member to be promoted to full member status, thereby seeing his accumulated creative achievements over time officially recognized alongside his activities as a singer.
YUQI, a member of I-DLE, has demonstrated solid creative capabilities within the group by participating in the writing and composition of numerous tracks such as “Last forever”, “Neverland”, and “All night”. Following JEON SOYEON, who was promoted to full member status in 2024 within the same group, she becomes the second to be included on the list, once again consolidating her position as a creator beyond her status as an idol.
Singer-songwriter STELLA JANG, noted for her francophone sensibility and distinctive musical universe, is also among the promoted members. She continues creative activities that transcend genres and borders by participating in her own songs such as “Colors”, “빌런”, and “L’amour, les baguettes, Paris”, as well as in works by various artists such as BTS with “친구” and TOMORROW X TOGETHER with “Dreamer”.
An iconic figure in the history of South Korean popular music, BAE CHUL SOO was also promoted to full member status this year. He contributed to the writing and composition of emblematic SONGGOLMAE tracks such as “빗물” and “모여라”, leading the popularization of Korean rock, and later exerted a profound and lasting influence on music culture as a singer and DJ of the program “배철수의 음악캠프”. This promotion represents a new opportunity to highlight his creative career and musical contributions.
In addition to these artists, the list of promoted members also includes many young creators, among them GIGI (Kim hyeon-ji), who participated in writing major hits by NEWJEANS such as “Hype Boy”, “OMG”, and “Super shy”, as well as HAN WON TAK, KAKO (Lee yu-jin), GHSTLOOP (Kim min-su), JUNNY (Kim hyeong-jun), and MILLENNIUM (Choi rae-seong), who have worked on songs by SEVENTEEN, STRAY KIDS, and NCT DREAM. The inclusion of these authors, who are currently leading the K-pop music industry, is evaluated as significant in terms of generational renewal and the expansion of the creative base.
Meanwhile, established authors who have consistently pursued creative activities for more than ten years, such as ASTROZ (Son young-jin), BIG SANCHO (Kim tae-ho), and KANG HWA SEONG, were also promoted to full member status. ASTROZ created numerous hits such as “환상동화” by IZ*ONE, “Lip & Hip” by HYUNA, and “괜찮아요” by BTOB, while BIG SANCHO built a distinct musical identity through “Latata”, “Lion”, and “Oh my god” by I-DLE. KANG HWA SEONG is recognized as a creator who elevated the sound quality of Korean popular music by handling arrangements for tracks such as “바람기억” by NAUL, “시든 꽃에 물을 주듯” by HYNN, and “그때 헤어지면 돼” by ROY KIM.
In the field of non-popular music, children’s song composer OH NAM HOON, religious music composer LEE HYEOK JIN, and classical music composer KIM EUN SU were promoted to full member status, also marking a significant milestone for creators in each field.
Additionally, KOMCA specified that the list for this promotion also includes authors such as JANG BEOM JUNE, KWON JEONG YEOL, and SUNWOO JUNGA, who had previously served as full members and were reinstated in accordance with the association’s regulations.
The annual list of full member promotions published at the beginning of the year by KOMCA is used as a comprehensive indicator illustrating trends in the music industry and the current state of the creative environment. A KOMCA official stated
“Promotion to full member status goes beyond a simple change in qualification; it represents the result of continuous activities and achievements as a creator. We hope that the creators promoted this time will contribute, through diverse artistic activities, to the development of the national music industry and the strengthening of the prestige of K-pop.”
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Website KOMCA
