Around Us Entertainment

Around Us Entertainment is a South Korean independent entertainment company founded by Yoon Doo-joon, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang, Son Dong-woon, and Yong Jun-hyung, who were members of the boy group formerly known as Beast and later renamed Highlight. The company was created after the artists' contracts with Cube Entertainment expired, giving them an independent base for music releases, artist management, and future promotional activities. The label's formation was closely connected to a major transition in the group's career. After leaving Cube Entertainment, the members sought to continue working together while moving away from their former agency's control. They selected the name Around Us to express an intention to remain close to audiences and to communicate with people more frequently. Its stated creative direction centers on producing music and other content that can be enjoyed easily by people in their everyday surroundings. A central early challenge was the group's continued use of the name Beast. Following their departure from Cube Entertainment, the members became involved in disputes concerning rights to the former group name. In February 2017, they chose to promote under the new name Highlight and ended their legal conflict over the Beast name with Cube Entertainment. This rebranding allowed the group to continue its activities through Around Us while establishing a separate identity for its post-Cube career. Around Us has primarily been associated with the management and promotion of Highlight and with the production and distribution of recorded music and related entertainment content. The company is better understood as an artist-centered independent label than as a large diversified entertainment conglomerate. Its public profile has therefore been strongly tied to the careers of its founding performers and to Highlight's group activities. The company's roster has changed over time. Yong Jun-hyung, one of the founders and a former Highlight member, officially left Around Us on November 15, 2021. The label has also been associated with The Wind, including Shin Jae-won, whose listed period with the company was 2023. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about Around Us's corporate ownership, financial performance, headquarters address, and broader commercial operations. Accordingly, the company is best characterized as an active South Korean independent music and artist-management business whose identity remains closely connected to Highlight.

Around Us Entertainment emerged from the post-Cube Entertainment career transition of the members of the South Korean boy group Beast. When the members' contracts with Cube expired, Yoon Doo-joon, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang, Son Dong-woon, and Yong Jun-hyung decided to create an independent company through which they could continue their collective music and entertainment activities. The company was established in 2016 and was named Around Us. The name reflected the founders' stated wish to stay close to audiences and engage with more people in everyday settings. The company's creation provided an organizational base for the members after their departure from Cube. Rather than functioning primarily as a broad, multi-division entertainment group, Around Us was built around artist management, music production, releases, and promotional work. Its identity and public visibility were consequently tied closely to the activities of the founding performers and to the continuation of their group career. A significant issue during the company's formation involved the name Beast. The former agency, Cube Entertainment, and the members faced a dispute over the rights and future use of the group name after the artists left. In February 2017, the members decided to stop pursuing the dispute and began promoting as Highlight. The change created a distinct identity for the group under Around Us while allowing the members to continue performing together without relying on the Beast name. Highlight became the label's principal public-facing act and the central example of Around Us's artist-led operating model. The company has been associated with Highlight's recordings, group promotions, performances, and related content. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the label's revenue, corporate structure, physical headquarters, or international subsidiaries, so its scale beyond its artist-management and music activities cannot be established from the supplied sources. The founding roster later changed. Yong Jun-hyung, who had helped establish the company and had been a member of Highlight, officially left Around Us on November 15, 2021. The label was also associated with The Wind, with Shin Jae-won listed as a company artist in 2023. These changes indicate that Around Us's roster has not been limited permanently to the original Highlight founders, although Highlight remains the company's defining association in the available historical record. Around Us is therefore best described as an active South Korean independent entertainment company formed by performers seeking greater autonomy after leaving a major agency. Its history is defined by the establishment of the company in 2016, the 2017 transition from Beast to Highlight, and subsequent changes in its artist roster.

1. 2023Shin Jae-won is listed with The Wind

   Shin Jae-won is listed as a former artist associated with The Wind for 2023.

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2. 2021Yong Jun-hyung departs

   Co-founder and former Highlight member Yong Jun-hyung officially leaves Around Us Entertainment on November 15.

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3. 2017Beast begins activities as Highlight

   The former Beast members adopt the name Highlight after ending their dispute with Cube Entertainment concerning the Beast name.

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4. 2016Around Us Entertainment is established

   Yoon Doo-joon, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang, Son Dong-woon, and Yong Jun-hyung establish the company after their contracts with Cube Entertainment expire.

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An independent, artist-centered South Korean entertainment label focused on accessible music, content creation, and close audience engagement.

• Recorded musicMusic releases

  Around Us's core commercial output is recorded music released through artists managed by the company. The label's public identity is particularly associated with Highlight, the group formed from the former members of Beast after their transition away from Cube Entertainment. Available reference material does not specify a complete catalog or distribution arrangement.

• Artist managementEntertainment services2016

  The company provides the organizational and promotional framework for its artists' group activities, performances, releases, and related entertainment work. Its founding model was designed to let the former Beast members continue their careers independently after their Cube Entertainment contracts ended.

• Entertainment contentDigital and promotional content2016

  Around Us has described its creative aim as making music and content that people can readily enjoy in their everyday surroundings. The supplied references do not identify a separate branded content platform or a detailed catalog of non-musical productions.

• 2017Adopt the Highlight identityStrategy

  After leaving Cube Entertainment, the former Beast members faced a dispute concerning rights to their previous group name.

  What changed. They chose to stop the legal dispute over the Beast name and continue group activities under the new name Highlight.

  Aftermath. The rebranding established a separate post-Cube identity for the group and became a defining early development in Around Us's history.

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• 2021Yong Jun-hyung leaves Around Us Entertainment

  Co-founder and former Highlight member Yong Jun-hyung officially departed from the company on November 15, 2021.

  Leadership change
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• 2017Former Beast members rebrand as Highlight

  The group adopted the name Highlight after choosing to end its dispute with Cube Entertainment over the continued use of the Beast name.

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• 2016Former Beast members establish Around Us Entertainment

  After their contracts with Cube Entertainment expired, the members of Beast established an independent company to manage their future activities and music promotions.

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1. Around Us Entertainment