G-Dragon signs with new agency, announces 2024 comeback

After parting ways with YG Entertainment and being cleared of the drug scandal that turned into a police/media scandal due to how they handled it, G-Dragon has now announced that he’ll be signing with Galaxy Corporation and is planning on a comeback in 2024. Additionally, he said he’ll be starting up a foundation to fight drug abuse.

At the press conference, director Jo Sung Hae of Galaxy Corporation officially announced, “Galaxy Corporation and artist G-Dragon signed an exclusive contract. Artist Kwon Ji Yong (G-Dragon’s real name) and Galaxy, who are not just a relationship of [an artist and] an agency but a relationship of partners and companions, will continue to take on challenges that have never been done and could not be done in the world. Moreover, in order to take a path that others have not taken, we will bridge each other’s gap and show not only the side that Kwon Ji Yong has shown so far but also the side that he has not shown before.”

With regards to G-Dragon’s future activities, director Jo Sung Hae briefly stated, “G-Dragon will make a comeback in 2024.”

As mentioned, G-Dragon also announced he’ll start a foundation to fight drug abuse.

“After difficult times recently, I was able to see things that I couldn’t see before, which is there are nearly 20,000 people convicted of drug crimes each year, and among them, teens are accelerating dramatically,” G-Dragon said in a handwritten letter read by a Galaxy executive. He did not attend the conference.
“I learned the heartbreaking news that fewer than 500 people have access to proper treatments in medical institutions,” he said, adding the dismal situation made him believe it is time to act on the matter as a responsible member of society.
The details about the foundation are still sketchy, but the artist said he will team up with his agency to help build a social system for those in need and lacking resources, as well as to support young artists.

This is honestly an amazing PR move for him coming off the attention generated by the drug investigation mess, and hopefully it does end up helping the problem. As I’ve covered before, funding for places to get help for drug addiction is lacking at the moment in Korea.

The company also threatened legal action.

“We will give you one week, by midnight on Dec. 28, to correct them. We strongly urge you to delete or correct all content that harms Kwon Ji-yong’s reputation,” said Cho Seong-hae, an executive at the company, using the artist’s real name.
“After the date, we will strongly respond with the principle of zero tolerance.”

That makes sense, as there were a lot of media outlets all too eager to expose his name in reports despite him not even being summoned by police to that point. Though personally, I’d like to know if the police themselves are going to be doing anything about their side leaking everything about celebrities to the press. Probably not.

Update

G-Dragon released a personal statement as well.