BTS’ agency HYBE stepped into the Indian market, setting up shop in Mumbai as part of its global expansion. Now, another ‘Big 4’ K-pop giant and potentially a third company are reportedly ready to follow suit.
On Monday, December 1, an exclusive report by The Korea Herald cited an industry source, suggesting that JYP Entertainment, the South Korean entertainment company founded by JY Park, was ready to tap into the Indian market. It already has official branches in the United States, Japan and China.
JYP Entertainment to open Indian office?
“JYP Entertainment is preparing to open its office in India to target the local music market,” the insider told the Korean media outlet. “The exact location or timeline has not been decided, but the timing seems right as K-pop’s popularity continues to rise among younger generations in India.”
JYP Entertainment is celebrated as one of the ‘Big 4’ K-pop companies alongside HYBE Corporation, SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment. The record label has especially gained monumental success on the global music scene as it has housed countless music acts that have been responsible for boosting the Hallyu Wave with international implications over the years.
GOT7’s debut under its banner in 2014 especially helped solidify the company’s foundation as a ‘Big 4’ existence. However, all seven members of the group exited the label in 2021 after completing their 7-year contract. The label is currently home to equally crucial sensations, TWICE and Stray Kids. Fan-favourite groups like ITZY, DAY6, 2PM and NMIXX are some other mainstays.
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An official and public confirmation about JYP Entertainment coming to India is still awaited.
When approached for comment about the reported developing situation, JYP Entertainment told The Korea Herald that it wasn’t aware of the matter.
With HYBE having become the first K-pop agency to officially breach the Indian market, the Korea Herald also reported last month that legendary K-pop star G-Dragon’s company Galaxy Corp also had plans to open an office in the South Asian nation. The label has yet to formally confirm the report.
K-pop in India
Following up on 2024’s trail, this year was also a big success for K-pop in India. The K-Town Festival, which is deemed India’s premier Korean cultural and music festival, hit Mumbai on November 1. Being the third edition of the series, it was branded as ‘K-Town 3.0,’ and brought veteran talents like SHINee’s Taemin, Super Junior’s D&E (Donghae and Eunhyuk) and Yedam to the country for the first time.
As the world’s most populous country with a population of approximated 1.46 billion, India already holds the potential to inject massive numbers into expansive K-pop fandoms.
Back in 2023, a report by Luminate, a US company that analyses the music market, revealed that certain tracks had especially gained a big audience in India. “Some of the track’s first listeners were South Korea’s neighboring countries (Philippines, Indonesia) as well as the US, then taking off in India due to the virality and reaching other territories such as Brazil and Mexico,” the report, as cited by Korea.net, said of FIFTY FIFTY’s “Cupid” attaining viral fame thanks to TikTok.
On top of that, a 2023 Facebook Analytics report suggested that more than 15 million people in India consumed K-culture products, including K-pop and K-drama.
The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange also released a survey earlier this year. According to the 2025 Global Hallyu Survey, based on 2024 data, 70.3% of respondents shared favourable views of Korean culture content.
Of these, India recorded the third-highest favourability at 84.5% after the Philippines and Indonesia. On the flip side, 37.5% held unfavourable views of K-pop culture. India stood at the top of that table with 52.7%.
Either way, the survey indicated that strong reactions to K-pop were pouring in from India. Considering, quite a few big-scale K-pop festivals with multiple A-listers were held in the country in 2024, yet-to-be-reported updated numbers linked to India may have grown considerably over the past year.