G-Dragon and YG Entertainment’s Yang Hyun-suk under police investigation for alleged copyright infringement

On Tuesday, August 12, South Korean media outlet Sports Chosun released an article reporting that the K-pop soloist, G-Dragon, and YG Entertainment's founder, Yang Hyun-suk, are currently under police investigation for alleged copyright infringement. According to the news report, the Mapo Police Station in Seoul received a complaint from an anonymous composer A in November 2023.

The complaint from the producer accused YG Entertainment of copying the composer's song called G-DRAGON and releasing it under a new name, My Age Is 13. This track is part of the idol's Shine A Light album, which was released back in 2010. Following the same, the police have decided to proceed with investigations to uncover the validity of the complaint raised against the agency and the idol.

According to the report released by Sports Chosun, YG Entertainment's headquarters and offices, along with the Korea Music Copyright Association in Gangseo-gu, were raided twice by the police as part of the investigation. However, the police also expressed that, according to the news report, they are yet to confirm the specifics of the situation, as the investigation is still ongoing.

"The investigation is currently ongoing, and we cannot confirm the specifics of the investigation."

YG Entertainment responds following copyright investigations against G-Dragon and the agency

Following Sports Chosun's news report about the copyright infringement allegations raised against YG Entertainment and G-Dragon for the idol's track, My Age Is 13, the agency released a response through the same media outlet. They said:

"In 2009, during the preparation process for G-Dragon's solo concert, the notation of two songs with the same title was confused, and there was no unauthorized duplication of the sound source."

G-Dragon, otherwise known as Kwon Ji-yong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur and is also part of the K-pop boy group BIGBANG. He is also known as the "King of K-pop" following his iconic music releases. The idol, as a soloist, has released three albums: Heartbreaker in 2009, Coup d'Etat in 2013, and, most recently, in February 2025, his album Übermensch.

Following the same, the idol also became the host of the music variety program, Good Day, in the same month. The show is available for streaming on MBC and Disney+.

He also rolled out a solo world tour after his third studio album, Übermensch. The tour kicked off on March 29 with a concert in Goyang, South Korea. He continued to perform in several cities, including Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Osaka. His most recent concert was in Hong Kong on August 9 and 10.

Here are the upcoming dates and venues of the tour:

August 22 & 23: Prudential Center, Newark, United States
August 31: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States
September 5 & 6: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, United States
September 20: Paris La Défense Arena, France, Paris

Further updates on the ongoing investigations against G-Dragon and YG Entertainment are awaited.

About the author

Aishwarya is a pop culture writer who covers K-drama and K-pop at Sportskeeda. After completing her Bachelor's in English and Communication Skills, she sought a job that allowed her to explore her passion, and being a K-pop and K-drama reporter felt like the ideal fit. Aishwarya has 3 years of experience under her belt and previously took on several internships in the industry that further motivated her in choosing writing as a career.

Aishwarya believes in conducting extensive research and verifying facts with the help of reputable sources to produce accurate articles. She also spends a significant amount of time on Twitter to understand how netizens are reacting to the latest trends in the industry before crafting her content.

She admires SUGA from BTS for his dedication to his work and aspires to immerse herself into the things she loves, just like him. If she could go back in time, she would jump at the opportunity to be part of ""Reply 1988,"" a K-drama set in a time when neighborhood relationships were cherished and interpersonal connections were of utmost importance. Although she loves how technology has advanced, she would also love to experience living in an era before it was invented.

When Aishwarya's not writing and reading about the latest developments in the industry, she spends her time crocheting, sketching, cycling, reading Mangas, and cooking.

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Edited by Somava