[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] There has been a string of cases where “boy groups” leading the K-pop market have renewed their contracts as a full group. Analysts say that as the expansion of their global fanbase has solidified the foundation for long-term activities, the trend of groups remaining together under the same agency—known as “staying together as a complete unit”—is becoming the norm.

According to the music industry on the 29th, SEVENTEEN and NCT 127 each signed contract renewals this month with their respective agencies, Pledis Entertainment and SM Entertainment. As a result, these two leading K-pop boy groups—both of which consistently sell over 1 million copies with each new album—will continue their partnerships with their current agencies.
Typically, idol groups discuss whether to renew their contracts with their agencies once their seven-year exclusive contracts—based on the Fair Trade Commission’s standard exclusive contract—expire. In the past, the “separate yet together” model—where members moved to different agencies after their contracts expired but reunited only for group activities—was considered the standard approach to contract renewal. Groups such as EXO, GOT7, and BIGBANG adopted this approach.
Recently, however, there has been a clear trend toward maintaining the full group lineup within the original agency. Previously, groups such as JYP Entertainment’s Stray Kids, Big Hit Music’s Tomorrow X Together (TXT), and KQ Entertainment’s ATEEZ all signed renewal contracts with all members. In the case of BTS, after signing their second renewal contract with all members in 2023—following their first in 2018—they resumed activities this year after completing their mandatory military service.
In the past, with the industry focused primarily on the domestic market and generational turnover occurring rapidly, it was uncommon for all members to continue their activities under the same agency. However, as the proportion of overseas revenue has grown, this trend has become increasingly pronounced. There is a growing recognition that remaining with the original agency, which possesses a robust global network, is the most rational choice.
From the agency’s perspective, maintaining a “complete group under one roof” is more advantageous than a “separate yet together” approach in terms of group brand management and fanbase retention. Pop music critic Lim Hee-yoon stated, “The successive full-group contract renewals by top-tier idol groups represent a significant trend demonstrating that the sustainability of K-pop artists’ intellectual property (IP) has been further strengthened.”