BLACKPINK's Jennie (real name Kim Jennie) has received more than 20 billion won in settlement payments over two years through the entertainment company she founded. The payments consist of revenue from her individual activities, including concerts, advertisements and appearance fees. Industry watchers say the figure reflects a more favorable settlement structure than what she would have received under an external agency, significantly boosting her personal earnings.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system on the 9th, Odd Atelier Entertainment paid Jennie 9.5 billion won in settlement payments last year. Combined with the 14.3 billion won paid in 2024, total settlement payments over the two years reach 23.8 billion won.
Jennie established Odd Atelier Entertainment, a one-person agency for herself, in November 2023 to pursue individual activities. "OA" stands for "Odd Atelier," meaning a space that creates striking novelty. Jennie owns 100% of Odd Atelier Entertainment, and her mother, Park Na-na, serves as its chief executive.
Odd Atelier Entertainment has turned a profit since shortly after its founding, thanks to Jennie's active schedule, and has built a stable financial structure. In 2024, effectively its first full year of operation, the company posted revenue of 18.9 billion won and operating profit of 580 million won. Last year, revenue rose 26% year-on-year to 23.8 billion won, while operating profit fell 33% to 390 million won.
Jennie received substantial settlement payments from the company while also directly providing operating funds. Shareholder loans to Odd Atelier Entertainment stood at 2.86 billion won at the end of last year, more than eight times the level a year earlier. Given that cash flow from operating activities was negative despite the company's net profit, the loans are interpreted as capital injections to bridge the timing gap between operating expenditures and settlement payments.
Beyond Jennie, there are many cases of artists personally establishing entertainment companies and collecting hundreds of billions of won in settlement payments. P Nation, founded by Psy (Park Jae-sang), is a representative example. According to P Nation's audit report, the company paid Psy about 17 billion won in settlement payments last year. The sizable amount is attributed to massive revenue generated through events such as the "Summer Swag" concert series. Kim Jae-joong, a former member of TVXQ, also founded iNKODE Entertainment in 2023 and is pursuing individual activities while nurturing new artists.
"In the past, agencies took on the investment and risks and shared revenue with artists, but recently, more artists with established recognition and fandoms are setting up their own corporations to operate independently," an entertainment industry official said. "For top artists, operating through an independent corporation is advantageous in terms of revenue distribution."
