2026 Billboard Global Power Players: How HYBE's Leadership is Transforming the Music Industry

[Sports Today reporter Yoon Hye-young] Billboard has named six HYBE executives, led by chairman Bang Si-hyuk, to its 2026 Billboard Global Power Players list.

U.S. music outlet Billboard published the 2026 Billboard Global Power Players list on its website on the 9th (local time). The list spotlights executives who are driving growth and innovation across music markets worldwide outside the United States.

HYBE’s representatives on the list include returning honorees — chairman Bang Si-hyuk, CEO Lee Jae-sang and ThreeSixty head Oh Yoo-jin — as well as three newly named executives: Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO of HYBE America; Han Hyun-rok, CEO of HYBE Japan; and Kim Tae-ho, COO. This is the largest group of HYBE executives ever named to the list. By recognizing overseas leaders who are executing the company’s "Multi-home, Multi-genre" strategy, the selection underscores HYBE’s global commercial success and cultural influence.

Bang appears on the list for a fifth time, after being named in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2025. He has translated K-pop’s production methodology into a broader blueprint for global pop success and produced measurable results across regional markets. Notably, the global girl group KATSEYE that he produced maintained a prolonged presence on Billboard’s main charts and earned nominations for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards — a recognition that helped spark a cultural wave. In Latin America, Bang helped launch boy group SANTOS BRAVOS and band Musza through a reality series and a band-audition format, respectively, extending the K-pop system and its influence internationally.

Lee Jae-sang, selected for the second consecutive year, strengthened HYBE’s core music business while securing platform- and tech-driven growth engines. He expanded the company’s footprint by establishing HYBE China and HYBE India, advancing HYBE’s strategy in two of the world’s largest and fastest-growing music markets.

Oh Yoo-jin, head of HYBE ThreeSixty, oversees APAC artists’ global touring and festival activity and was honored for the third straight year. According to Billboard’s 2025 Boxscore annual report, HYBE generated 469.2 million USD (approximately 625.6 billion KRW) in tour revenue during the past year (Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025), ranking fourth in the Top Promoters category and joining the global live-music market’s Big Four.

New to the list, Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO of HYBE America, helped solidify HYBE’s presence in the Latin market. He co-produced the Telemundo audition series Pase a la Fama, which became the top-rated Spanish-language program in its Mexico time slot, and supported the successful debuts of Musza, Low Clika and Destino.

Han Hyun-rok, CEO of HYBE Japan, has led album distribution, concert promotion, IP development and marketing for HYBE Music Group artists in Japan while successfully scouting and nurturing local talent. He earned his first appearance on the list after contributing to the localized debuts and commercial growth of Japanese acts under the Multi-home, Multi-genre approach, including &TEAM’s first million-seller and rookie group aoen’s No. 1 ranking on the Oricon daily singles chart.

Kim Tae-ho, HYBE’s COO, also makes his debut on the list. Kim has driven cross-industry collaborations and reimagined the global fan experience through projects such as THE CITY — which expands fan engagement through concerts and citywide activations — as well as global pop-up stores and the Team Korea lightstick distributed during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Alongside HYBE executives, other industry leaders named to the 2026 Billboard Global Power Players list include avex CEO Kuroiwa Katsumi and Victoria Okli, head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), among others who shape the global music business.

[Sports Today reporter Yoon Hye-young ent@stoo.com]
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