Core Contents Media
South Korean entertainment and record-label company that operated under the Core Contents Media name from 2007 until its acquisition and renaming in 2014.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Core Contents Media was a South Korean entertainment company and record label associated with producer and executive Kim Kwang-soo. Its corporate history began in 1999, when Kim established GM Planning. The business later became connected with Mnet Media and the wider CJ Group. After Kim joined CJ Group as a director, GM Planning was absorbed into Mnet Media in 2006. In 2007, the operation was relaunched under the Core Contents Media name, creating a label and management platform focused on popular music, artists, acting, and entertainment production. The company became particularly visible through its management of K-pop and Korean pop acts. Its artist roster included T-ara, Davichi, SeeYa, SG Wannabe, Black Pearl, Coed School, F-ve Dolls, SPEED, The SeeYa, DIA, Shannon, and other singers and performers. T-ara became the label's most internationally recognizable group, while Davichi and SeeYa strengthened its position in Korean vocal pop and mainstream entertainment. The company also managed individual entertainers and actors, including Nam Gyu-ri, No Min-woo, Hong Jin-young, Ha Seok-jin, and others at different points in its history. Core Contents Media's relationship with Mnet Media ended in 2009. In September of that year, Kim Kwang-soo was removed from the list of Mnet Media directors, and the company subsequently operated independently from Mnet Media. The business continued to expand beyond artist management into film, television, and talent-development projects. Associated credits included films such as Death Bell, Cinderella Man, and Death Bell 2: Bloody Camp, as well as television projects including Sweet Temptation, The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project, Under Nineteen, Miss Trot, Produce X 101, Mr Trot, and My Teenage Girl. On October 1, 2014, Core Contents Media was acquired by MBK Co., Ltd., formerly known as CS ELSOLAR Co., Ltd. Following the transaction, the company was renamed MBK Entertainment, with the new name explained as an abbreviation of Music Beyond Korea. The Core Contents Media identity therefore ceased to be the principal corporate brand, although much of the artist-management and production activity continued through the successor organization and later affiliated labels. MBK's parent company suspended its entertainment business in December 2016. In the following years, parts of the operation were conducted through PocketDol Studio, a subsidiary label. Projects associated with this later structure included the survival programs The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project and Under Nineteen, as well as management and debut activities involving contestants and groups such as UNB, UNI.T, 1the9, H&D, and DIA. In 2020, H&D members Hangyul and Dohyon debuted through PocketDol Studio, and DIA was transferred to that sub-label before a planned comeback. By 2022, Core Contents Media was described as defunct and closed after the business had moved to PocketDol Studio.
History
Core Contents Media's history traces to GM Planning, founded by Kim Kwang-soo in 1999. The business operated in South Korea's music and entertainment sector, eventually expanding from artist management and music releases into acting representation and audiovisual production. Its early corporate development was tied to Mnet Media and CJ Group. In 2006, after Kim joined CJ Group as a director, GM Planning was absorbed by Mnet Media. The operation was relaunched in 2007 as Core Contents Media. Under that name it assembled a broad roster of Korean singers, idol groups, and actors. The company's best-known music properties included T-ara, Davichi, SeeYa, SG Wannabe, Black Pearl, Coed School, F-ve Dolls, SPEED, The SeeYa, and later DIA. It also represented or worked with individual performers such as Hong Jin-young, Nam Gyu-ri, No Min-woo, Shannon, and other entertainers. T-ara became the clearest international-facing success associated with the label, while Davichi and SeeYa were important to its Korean mainstream and vocal-pop profile. Core Contents Media also developed work outside conventional record-label activity. Its associated film and television credits included Death Bell, Cinderella Man, Death Bell 2: Bloody Camp, and Sweet Temptation. Later projects connected with the successor MBK structure included The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project, Under Nineteen, Miss Trot, Produce X 101, Mr Trot, and My Teenage Girl. These programs reflected the company's increasing interest in televised talent competitions and the creation of new idol groups through broadcast exposure. The company's relationship with Mnet Media ended in 2009. Kim Kwang-soo was removed from Mnet Media's director list in September, and Core Contents Media subsequently operated independently from that company. On October 1, 2014, MBK Co., Ltd., formerly CS ELSOLAR Co., Ltd., acquired Core Contents Media. The company was renamed MBK Entertainment, a name associated with the phrase Music Beyond Korea. This transaction ended Core Contents Media's existence as the principal operating brand, although the business activities and artist relationships continued under the successor. The later corporate structure became less stable. MBK's parent company suspended its entertainment business in December 2016. Management and production activity subsequently shifted toward PocketDol Studio, a subsidiary label. The later period included involvement in The Unit and Under Nineteen, the debut of the competition-derived group 1the9, the duo H&D, and the transfer of DIA to PocketDol Studio in 2020. By 2022, Core Contents Media was regarded as defunct and closed, with its remaining activities having moved into the affiliated PocketDol Studio structure.
- 2022
Core Contents Media becomes defunct
[1]The former company is described as closed after operations moved to PocketDol Studio.
- 2016
Parent suspends entertainment operations
[1]MBK's parent company suspends its entertainment business.
- 2014
Acquisition and renaming
[1]MBK Co., Ltd. acquires Core Contents Media and renames it MBK Entertainment.
- 2009
Separation from Mnet Media
[1]Kim Kwang-soo leaves Mnet Media's director list, and Core Contents Media's effective business relationship with Mnet Media ends.
- 2007
Core Contents Media launches
[1]The operation is relaunched under the Core Contents Media name.
- 2006
GM Planning is absorbed by Mnet Media
[1]The predecessor company becomes part of Mnet Media after Kim Kwang-soo joins CJ Group as a director.
- 1999
GM Planning is founded
[1]Kim Kwang-soo establishes GM Planning, the predecessor to Core Contents Media.
Products and positioning
A Korean entertainment company combining record-label operations, idol-group management, singer development, acting management, and television and film production. Its strongest market identity came from building and managing mainstream K-pop and vocal-pop acts, particularly T-ara, Davichi, SeeYa, and DIA.
K-pop girl group · 2009
T-ara
T-ara was the most internationally prominent idol group associated with Core Contents Media. The company managed the group's members and music activities during its principal Core Contents Media period, making T-ara a central part of the label's public identity and commercial reach.
Vocal-pop duo · 2008
Davichi
Davichi was a major vocal-pop act managed by the company from 2008 to 2014. The duo represented Core Contents Media's emphasis on polished Korean mainstream singing, alongside its idol-group roster.
K-pop vocal group
SeeYa
SeeYa was part of the company's earlier female vocal-group portfolio. Its association with the label contributed to Core Contents Media's profile in Korean pop and ballad-oriented music.
K-pop girl group · 2015
DIA
DIA was a girl group managed by Core Contents Media before being transferred to PocketDol Studio in 2020. The group extended the company's idol-management activities into the later MBK and subsidiary-label period.
K-pop boy group · 2012
SPEED
SPEED was a boy group associated with Core Contents Media during the company's expansion of the Coed School-related idol roster. Its activities formed part of the label's broader strategy of developing multiple group formats.
Television talent competition · 2017
The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project
The Unit was a televised idol-rebooting competition connected with Kim Kwang-soo and the later PocketDol Studio structure. It provided a platform for contestants with previous entertainment experience and led to the formation of the project groups UNB and UNI.T.
Television talent competition · 2018
Under Nineteen
Under Nineteen was launched by MBK and MBC as a competition for male trainees under 19. Its winning contestants formed 1the9, whose participants were subject to an initial MBC contract followed by a management arrangement associated with MBK and PocketDol Studio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Under Nineteen
South Korea
MBK and MBC organized a televised competition for male trainees under the age of 19, linking broadcast exposure with the development of a new idol group.
Outcome. The winning contestants debuted as 1the9.
- 2017The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project
South Korea
A televised competition designed to relaunch or promote entertainers who had already experienced idol or trainee careers. The project was connected with Kim Kwang-soo and the label structure that later operated through PocketDol Studio.
Outcome. The program produced the project groups UNB and UNI.T.
Brand decisions
2020
Transfer of DIA to PocketDol StudioStrategyBackground
The successor business was increasingly operating through the affiliated PocketDol Studio label.
Action taken
DIA was transferred to PocketDol Studio ahead of a planned June comeback.
Aftermath
The transfer illustrated the movement of artist-management activity away from the former Core Contents Media and MBK structures.
2014
Acquisition by MBK Co., Ltd.M&ABackground
Core Contents Media had operated independently from Mnet Media after the relationship ended in 2009.
Action taken
MBK Co., Ltd., formerly CS ELSOLAR Co., Ltd., acquired the company on October 1 and renamed it MBK Entertainment.
Aftermath
The Core Contents Media corporate identity was replaced by MBK Entertainment, while related artist and production activity continued under the successor.
2007
Relaunch under the Core Contents Media nameStrategyBackground
The predecessor GM Planning had been absorbed into Mnet Media in 2006.
Action taken
The operation was relaunched as Core Contents Media, maintaining a focus on music, artist management, and entertainment production.
Aftermath
The new name became associated with a roster that included T-ara, Davichi, SeeYa, Coed School, F-ve Dolls, SPEED, and DIA.
Sources1 sources
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