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Park Seung-hyun, the CEO of Hanyang.com, told an interview with Hanyang Dot Com that Artist Company will launch a brand called “Lee Jung‑jae” in the fourth quarter of this year. He emphasized that the company will not simply sell products by name alone.
He said that the brand will be built as an independent entity that turns the actor’s fame and content into marketable assets, combining product strength with strong resale potential.
Artist Company already owns intellectual property rights to influential figures such as actors Lee Jung‑jae, Kim Hye-yoon, and Im Ji-yeon. The company intends to commercialize and brand these IPs. Although the upcoming brand will use the name “Lee Jung‑jae beauty products,” it is not merely a celebrity‑name marketing strategy; rather, it seeks to connect Lee’s personal skin‑care experiences and solutions into tangible products.
Park stressed that product design and lineup will be guided by the actor’s preferences but also by market data and consumer response so that the brand can sell beyond the fan base.
Artist Company has signed MOU agreements with Tik‑Tok and other external platforms, intending to push a global IP‑based brand business. The plan is to start in Japan and expand into the United States, using “Tik‑Tok Shop” as a commerce platform to market together with local creators and sellers. Park said that leveraging Lee’s IP gives an advantage of meeting influencers and partners from the outset, and that both offline and online strategies will be pursued simultaneously.
In its ad‑tech platform business, Artist Company recorded sales of 9.2 billion KRW (about US$7.5 million) and operating profit of 600 million KRW. It achieved revenue of 4.1 billion KRW (24.86% of total) in the first half of this year. Park added that running the ad‑tech business directly and using related data are separate issues, but with external platform data such as Tik‑Tok, the IP commerce can fill a gap. He said they are reviewing profit and revenue targets for the new venture and are solidifying KPIs; results will be shown once the Q4 is completed.
Park added that his approach is not just a lofty concept but an actionable strategy, and that by the end of Q4 he will show real outcomes. He also mentioned that Artist Company holds 27.1% of Lee’s shares and 11.0% of Joon‑seong’s (CEO) stake. (Kim Yeon‑ji, Hanyang.com reporter, kongzi@hankyung.com)