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| Comedian Yoo Jae-suk / Courtesy of MBC |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Comedian Yoo Jae-suk is in talks to move to Antenna Music, a talent-management company established by veteran singer-songwriter and TV show host Yoo Hee-yeol.
Korean media outlet OSEN reported Wednesday that Yoo recently inked an exclusive contract worth about 10 billion won ($8.8 million) with Antenna. The report came one day after local broadcaster JTBC had said Yoo picked Antenna as his new home. But both Antenna and Kakao Entertainment ― a subsidiary of tech giant Kakao that acquired the shares of Antenna last year ― said the contract has not been finalized.
Founded in 1997, Antenna Music represents a plethora of musicians, including Lucid Fall, Jung Seung-hwan and Sam Kim. The company's founder is a close friend of Yoo.
His contract period with FNC Entertainment, home to high-profile stars such as Jung Hae-in, CNBLUE, SF9 and Jung Hyung-don, will end on July 15. Yoo signed on with FNC Entertainment in 2015.
"We respect Yoo's decision to tackle a fresh challenge," FNC said in a statement Tuesday. "FNC and Yoo will support each other … We are thankful to Yoo for working together with us for the last six years."
Yoo, one of the most sought-after comedians, and the host of some of the most successful TV shows in Korea, made his TV debut in 1991 on KBS's "Comedian Festival." He has since appeared in a series of hit programs, including SBS's "Running Man," tvN's "You Quiz on the Block" and MBC's "Hangout with Yoo."
