1992–1996: Seo Taiji & Boys Seo Taiji & Boys was formed in 1991 with
Seo Taiji, Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-seok. Yang said he first met Seo when the musician came to him to learn how to dance when Yang was a dancer (Yang danced in the Korean dance crew "
Spark"(which is considered the first Korean breaking dance group) and in the dancing group " and friends()"). "Blown away" by his music, Yang offered to join the group and they later recruited Lee who was one of the top dancers in Korea. The group was influential on the Korean music scene, famous for their single, "Nan Arayo" (, "I Know"). The group received criticism for some of their albums, most notably for the song, "Shidaeyugam" (, "Regret of the Times"), to which fan backlash led to the abolition of the Pre-censorship law in 1996. The group disbanded in 1996 and each member went on to pursue solo careers.
1996–2019: YG Entertainment In 1996, he established
YG Entertainment and released his first solo album which featured a song composed by
Seo Taiji. This was their first collaboration since the breakup. Yang Hyun-Suk has produced hugely successful artists through his company, most notably
Jinusean,
1TYM,
Wheesung,
Gummy,
Seven,
Big Bang,
2NE1,
Winner,
iKon,
Tablo,
Epik High,
Lee Hi,
Blackpink,
Treasure,
BabyMonster, and
Psy. Due to recent controversies involving the
Burning Sun scandal and other allegations, Yang Hyun-suk announced his plans to step down from all of his positions at YG Entertainment, and his brother Yang Min-suk announced his decision to resign as CEO of YG Entertainment on June 14, 2019.
2019–present: Conviction and YG return On December 22, 2022, Yang was acquitted of a charge of threatening an informant. On November 8, 2023, his acquittal for threatening the informant was overturned by the
Seoul High Court, finding that he had abused his status at the company to coerce trainees into reversing police testimonies. He was sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 1 year. In May 2024, YG Entertainment released a video featuring Yang announcing upcoming plans for BabyMonster and Treasure. ==Personal life==