Jaesang Lee, CEO of HYBE: "2026 Marks the First Year of 'HYBE 2.0' Results Realization"

Five Key Focus Areas Announced in New Year's Address

Jaesang Lee, CEO of HYBE. Provided by HYBE

Jaesang Lee, CEO of HYBE, declared 2026 as the year of 'realization' in his New Year's address on January 2. He expressed his intention to begin full-scale profit generation, building on the foundation of the 'HYBE 2.0' strategy established last year.

CEO Lee emphasized, "If 2025 was a year of investment to lay the groundwork for 'HYBE 2.0,' then 2026 will mark the beginning of visible results. This year, we will prove to the market that our bold investments were the right direction."

On this day, Lee announced five key tasks that HYBE must accomplish: ▲Verifying the business potential of new businesses and intellectual property (IP) ▲Establishing the sustainability of IP and expanding the fan base ▲Designing a new experience model based on scarcity ▲Securing leadership in the AI-based prosumer market ▲Implementing true global governance.

He identified securing profitability as the top priority. CEO Lee explained, "While we have confirmed significant traffic expansion in new businesses, we must now shift to a phase of generating meaningful profit. A virtuous cycle of investment will be established only when we are confident in sustainable business potential."

He further stated, "The essence of HYBE's business is to provide fans with new immersive experiences through the convergence of technology based on core IP. We will lay the groundwork for artists to continue as unique IPs despite changes in the environment."

In the fandom business sector, he presented 'scarcity' as the core keyword. CEO Lee said, "Scarcity is an important element that enhances the added value of the fan experience. To innovate future fandom businesses, we will design and test an integrated online and offline experience model based on scarcity."

He added, "It is necessary to apply an integrated and concrete response model from both creative and platform perspectives. While preserving the value of IP, we will establish a 'Fan to Fan' model where fans can freely create and communicate, setting a new standard for the market."

Regarding global strategy, he emphasized building 'integrated governance' between headquarters and overseas subsidiaries. CEO Lee explained, "We will increase cross-border project cases and realize greater synergy."

He concluded, "HYBE's growth philosophy is to create top-level IP, lead the fandom business, and expand into new markets. I ask every member to take ownership of this growth."