kpop1-4, Exercise 3: Agencies and the training-cost figure

Model answer (any two):

SM Entertainment: founder Lee Soo-man; "SM Studio" 1989, renamed SM Entertainment in February 1995; early acts H.O.T. (1996), S.E.S. (1997).
YG Entertainment: founder Yang Hyun-suk; founded 24 February 1996 (as Hyun Planning); first act Keep Six, which did not catch on.
JYP Entertainment: founder J.Y. Park; founded 1997 (as Tae-Hong Planning Corporation); first artist Pearl.
Hybe: founder Bang Si-hyuk; founded 1 February 2005 as Big Hit Entertainment; signed RM, the first member of BTS, in 2010.

The US$3 million figure should be reported with its owner and wording because it comes from a 2012 Wall Street Journal report, and the two articles word it differently: the K-pop article says training one idol under SM "averaged" US$3 million, while the Korean idol article says it was the cost for one member of Girls' Generation. One is an average and the other is a single case, and the original report was not read, so it should not be treated as a general rule.

Sources: Wikipedia, SM Entertainment; YG Entertainment; JYP Entertainment; Hybe Corporation; K-pop; Korean idol.