G-Dragon and Yang Hyun-suk Face Allegations of Copyright Infringement, YG Firmly Denies Unauthorized Replication

Singer G-Dragon and former YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk have been accused of copyright infringement, prompting YG Entertainment to issue a statement denying any unauthorized copying.

According to industry reports on August 13, composer A filed a complaint against four individuals: G-Dragon, Yang Hyun-suk, current YG Entertainment CEO Yang Min-suk, and YG Plus CEO B, on charges of violating copyright law.

The Seoul Mapo Police confirmed that on August 12, they carried out two separate search and seizure operations at YG Entertainment’s headquarters and the Korea Music Copyright Association in Gangseo District. These actions came nine months after the initial complaint was filed.

Composer A alleges that YG Entertainment illegally reproduced his composition “G-DRAGON,” changed the title to “At the Age of Thirteen” (내 나이 열셋), and released it in 2009 as part of an album without his consent.

The 2010 release of G-Dragon’s Shine a Light album includes the tracks “At the Age of Thirteen,” “Storm,” “Stylish Gentleman” (멋쟁이신사), and “G-Dragon.” The disputed song in question is “At the Age of Thirteen,” which A claims is an unauthorized copy of his work. The “G-Dragon” track on the album, however, is a different song originally featured in the 2001 album Perry By Storm by then-YG artist Perry.

A YG Entertainment representative explained: “During G-Dragon’s 2009 solo concert, two different songs with the same title A’s ‘G-Dragon’ and Perry’s ‘G-Dragon’ were listed in the setlist as ‘At the Age of Thirteen’ and ‘G-Dragon.’ This appears to have caused the misunderstanding. There was no unauthorized copying.”

The police have confirmed the investigation is ongoing but declined to provide further details.