Artist Company, which actors Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung belong to, is merging with Artist United.

Artist Company announced on the 5th through an official press release, “We have signed a merger agreement with Artist United,” and “We expect that the partnership between Artist Company, a professional actor management company, and Artist United, which is building solid capabilities in production and distribution, will produce strong synergy.”

Artist Company is a specialized actor management company that houses Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, Yum Jung-ah, Park Hae-jin, Kim Jong-soo, Park So-dam, Bae Seong-woo, Lim Ji-yeon, Shin Jung-geun, Kim Jun-han, Park Hoon, Won Jin-ah, Go Ah-sung, Pyo Ji-hoon, Kim Hye-yoon, Jo Yi-hyun, Jang Dong-ju, Cha Rae-hyung, Choi Kyung-hoon, and Yoo Jung-hoo. Also, it has been recognized for its unrivaled position in the industry by producing well-made content with both artistic quality and box office success, such as the global OTT Netflix TV series ‘The Silent Sea’ (written by Park Eun-kyo, directed by Choi Hyang-yong), the ENA drama ‘Say That You Love Me’ (written by Kim Min-jung, directed by Kim Yun-jin), and the movie ‘The Hunt’ (directed by Lee Jung-jae).

Artist United, where Artist Company‘s inside director Lee Jung-jae became the largest shareholder last year, is a KOSDAQ-listed company based on the AI big data platform business. It recently acquired Artist Studio (formerly Raemong Lane), which created killer content such as ‘The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family’‘Death to Snow White’, and established the foundation for producing content of various genres.

In addition, Artist Unity has strengthened its production and distribution sectors by starting with the distribution of the film ‘She Died’ (Director Kim Se-hwi) this year, followed by the production of the drama ‘Salon de Holmes’ based on the novel of the same name, and co-distributing the film ‘1 Seung’ (Director Shin Yeon-sik) starring Song Kang-ho and Park Jung-min, which will be released next month. Collaboration with top domestic artists and brands through the commerce business division is also drawing attention.

Artist Company said, “With the merger with Artist United, Artist Company will achieve meaningful results through various challenges in the domestic and international markets, create a healthy industry culture, and establish itself as a comprehensive entertainment representing K-content.”

In addition, Artist United added, “Together with Artist Company, we will create various content that is loved domestically and internationally, and grow into a company that maximizes the value of artists, companies, and shareholders.”

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com