The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) has distinguished between full members () and associate members () since February 11, 1978. Associate members may be promoted to full membership based mainly on their length of membership and copyright-royalty earnings.
This list includes music creators whose promotion or re-promotion to full membership has been publicly announced, arranged by year. It is not a complete register of current or former full members. Where full lists are unavailable, membership figures are summarized instead.
Background
The number of full-member promotions has varied over time. Some selections have also included former full members who were promoted again after losing their status under KOMCA's rules. Full members may lose their status if they fail to attend more than four consecutive general meetings.
1964-1999
KOMCA was founded in 1964 with 56 members: 38 from popular music, 11 from children's music, five from traditional Korean music and two from classical music. At its founding general meeting on March 15, composer was elected the association's first president. KOMCA was formally approved on June 19.
KOMCA did not initially distinguish between full and associate members. The two membership categories were introduced at its 15th regular general meeting on February 11, 1978.
KOMCA's membership continued to grow, passing 1,000 registered music creators in 1989. By the end of 1999, KOMCA had 3,654 registered creators, successors, assignees and music publishers. Of the 3,574 music creators, 581 were full members.
+ KOMCA membership by musical field at the end of 1999 Musical field Registered creators Full members Ref. Popular music 3,161 481 Classical music 204 54 Children's music 101 28 Traditional Korean music 42 17 Religious music 66 1 Total 3,574 581
The remaining 80 registrations consisted of 21 successors to deceased rightsholders, 13 assignees and 46 music publishers.
2000-2010
KOMCA's registered rightsholder base expanded rapidly during the 2000s. The association had approximately 4,000 trust-contract holders in 2000, while the number approached 9,000 by 2008. In November 2009, KOMCA announced that the number had surpassed 10,000; its 10,000th trust-contract holder was popular-music creator Kwon Young-hwan.
Annual figures supplied by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and published by the office of National Assembly member Lee Ki-heon are available from 2007. During this period, KOMCA recorded 165 promotions to full membership.
+ KOMCA full-membership figures, 2007-2010 Year Promoted during year Full members at year-end Total registered rightsholders Full-member share Ref. 2007 36 704 7,957 8.8% 2008 47 699 8,855 7.9% 2009 53 767 10,202 7.5% 2010 29 776 11,658 6.7%
The number of full members recorded at the end of each year was not a cumulative total of annual promotions, as existing full members could cease to hold the status and could later qualify for re-promotion under KOMCA's regulations. Although the total number of full members increased between 2007 and 2009, their proportion of KOMCA's registered rightsholders declined from 8.8 percent to 7.5 percent as the association's wider membership grew.
2011-2015
+ KOMCA full-membership figures, 2011-2015 Year Promoted during year Full members at year-end Total registered rightsholders Full-member share Ref. 2011 4 766 13,421 5.7% 2012 36 782 15,058 5.1% 2013 40 780 17,041 4.5% 2014 62 823 19,507 4.2% 2015 39 844 21,884 3.8%
2011 Name Affiliation Ref. G-Dragon BigBang Park Jin-young JYP Entertainment Brave Brothers Brave Entertainment
2012
In 2012, KOMCA recorded 36 promotions to full membership. At the end of the year, the association had 782 full members among 15,058 registered rightsholders. The following table is not a complete list and includes only individuals whose promotion in 2012 has been identified in published sources.
+ Some of full members promoted in 2012 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Kangta H.O.T. Rain —
2013
In 2013, KOMCA recorded 40 promotions to full membership.
+ Some of full members promoted in 2013 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Kim Jae-joong JYJ
2014
In 2014, KOMCA recorded 62 promotions to full membership.
+ Some of full members promoted in 2014 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Kim Junsu JYJ T.O.P BigBang
2015
In 2015, KOMCA recorded 39 promotions to full membership.
+ Some of full members promoted in 2015 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. BoA — Jang Ki-ha Kiha & The Faces
2016-2020
+ KOMCA full-membership figures, 2016-2020 Year Promoted during year Full members at year-end Total registered rightsholders Full-member share Ref. 2016 27 856 24,249 3.5% 2017 27 878 27,346 3.2% 2018 27 878 30,697 2.8% 2019 27 898 34,184 2.6% 2020 25 907 38,468 2.3%
2016
In 2016, KOMCA recorded 27 promotions to full membership.
+ Some of full members promoted in 2016 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. IU — Crush —
2017
In 2017, KOMCA recorded 27 promotions to full membership.
+ Selected full members promoted in 2017 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Im Chang-jung — Kim Tae-woo G.o.d
2018
In 2018, KOMCA recorded 27 promotions to full membership.
+ Selected full members promoted in 2018 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Suga BTS
2019
In 2019, KOMCA recorded 27 promotions to full membership.
+ Selected full members promoted in 2019 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Woozi Seventeen Yong Jun-hyung Highlight Zico Block B B.I iKon Jung Yong-hwa CNBLUE Jinyoung B1A4 Jang Beom-june Busker Busker Kwon Jung-yeol 10cm Zion.T — Gray — Lee Chan-hyuk AKMU Bumzu — Yiruma —
2020
In 2020, KOMCA recorded 25 promotions to full membership.
+ Selected full members promoted in 2020 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. RM BTS J-Hope BTS Paul Kim — Jay Park — Kim Min-seok MeloMance Urban Zakapa Urban Zakapa Giriboy — Seo Ji-eum —
2021-2025
+ KOMCA full-membership figures, 2021-2025 Year Promoted during year Full members at year-end Total registered rightsholders Full-member share Ref. 2021 26 919 43,071 2.1% 2022 26 930 47,140 1.9% 2023 25 946 51,244 1.8% 2024 30 958 55,544 1.7% 2025 30 — — —
2021 KOMCA's annual statistics recorded 26 promotions in 2021. The contemporary announcement named 25 individual creators; the annual total also included a music publisher.
+ Selected full members promoted in 2021 Name Korean name Affiliation Ref. Kang Seung-yoon Winner Mino Winner Sunwoo Jung-a — Changmo — Loco — Roy Kim — — Jung Jae-il — Cloud — Kim Hyun-woo — Lee Jun-ho —
2022 In 2022, KOMCA recorded 26 promotions to full membership, including one successor to a deceased rightsholder.
+ Publicly identified full members promoted in 2022 Name Korean or registered name Affiliation or identity Notes Ref. Gangsane Singer-songwriter Gary Leessang Re-promoted Gil Leessang Re-promoted Kim Ji-hwan Songwriter and producer Noh Young-shim Singer-songwriter Re-promoted Yerin Baek Singer-songwriter BewhY Rapper and producer Beenzino Rapper and songwriter Im Hyun-sik BtoB Jang Ki-ha Singer-songwriter Re-promoted Heize Singer-songwriter Jang Jun-ho Faces of Glory production team Singer
2023 In 2023, KOMCA recorded 25 promotions to full membership.
+ Publicly identified full members promoted in 2023 Name Korean or registered name Affiliation or identity Notes Ref. Han Stray Kids Bang Chan Stray Kids Changbin Stray Kids minGtion Songwriter and producer Megatone Member of the production team 13 Singer-songwriter Musician and songwriter Wild Boar Producer 24 Producer Lee Jin-sung Monday Kiz ROVIN Producer The Black Skirts Singer-songwriter Nangi BEOMxNANG Singer-songwriter Choi Jung-hoon Jannabi
2024
In 2024, KOMCA promoted 30 people: 27 selected across all musical fields and three allocated to non-popular music.
+ Publicly identified full members promoted in 2024 Name Korean or registered name Affiliation or identity Notes Ref. Jungkook BTS Soyeon I-dle Vernon Seventeen Producer POP TIME Producer Ahn Ye-eun Singer-songwriter Ahn Ji-young BOL4 TOIL Producer Kigen Rapper and producer Lee Sang-min Roo'ra Re-promoted Lee Seu-ran Lyricist JQ Lyricist and producer 250 Producer EL CAPITXN Producer Rain Singer-songwriter Re-promoted Code Kunst Producer FRANTS Producer Versachoi Producer Yoon Hye-jung Children's music Non-popular-music allocation Joo Min-jung Religious music Non-popular-music allocation Im Gyo-min Traditional Korean music Non-popular-music allocation
2025 In 2025, KOMCA promoted 30 people to full membership: 27 from popular music and three from non-popular fields.
+ Selected full members promoted in 2025 Name Korean name Affiliation Notes Ref. S.Coups Seventeen Lee Mu-jin Singer-songwriter Younha Singer-songwriter Kang Tae-gyu Lyricist Kim Soo-bin Songwriter and producer Shaun Singer-songwriter and producer MayBee Singer-songwriter and lyricist Re-promoted DJ Tukutz Epik High Songwriter and producer Peperoni Songwriter and producer LOOGONE Songwriter and producer Kim Ho-joong Singer Colde Singer-songwriter and producer Noh Joo-hwan Songwriter and producer Singer-songwriter FRNK Producer Park Yong-jun The Classic Park Yong-jin Singer and songwriter Park Jin-soo Songwriter The Quiett Rapper and producer Re-promoted Lee Chae-gyu Songwriter and producer Lee Han-gil Songwriter Lee Hwi-min GroovyRoom Jeon Byeong-seon ROYAL DIVE Oliv Songwriter and producer Jung Sung-sil Religious music Non-popular-music allocation Choi Shin-gyu Children's music Non-popular-music allocation Songwriter Hwang Yubin Songwriter and producer Hwang Jin-a Traditional Korean music Non-popular-music allocation
2026-present
2026 In 2026, KOMCA promoted 30 people to full membership.
+ Full members promoted in 2026 Name Korean or registered name Affiliation or identity Notes Ref. Bae Chul-soo Songgolmae Young K Day6 Yuqi I-dle Kang Hwa-seong Arranger and producer Kwon Jung-yeol 10cm Re-promoted Maddox Singer-songwriter and producer GHSTLOOP Producer Kim Eun-soo Classical/art music Non-popular-music allocation Kim Jung-woo Songwriter and producer Kim Tae-young Songwriter and producer Big Sancho Producer Kim Tae-hong Songwriter and producer Zion.T Singer-songwriter and producer Previously promoted to full membership in 2019 GIGI Lyricist Singer-songwriter and producer Sunwoo Jung-a Singer-songwriter and producer Re-promoted ASTROZ Producer; member of MosPick Shin Jae-hoon Songwriter and producer O Nam-hoon Children's music Non-popular-music allocation Lee Seung-hwan Singer-songwriter Re-promoted KAKO Songwriter and producer Lee Ji-won Songwriter and producer Lee Jong-jae Songwriter and producer Religious music Non-popular-music allocation Im Jong-hwa Songwriter and producer Jang Beom-june Singer-songwriter Re-promoted Stella Jang Singer-songwriter Jeong Si-ro Songwriter and producer Producer Songwriter and producer
See also
Korea Music Copyright Association
Notes
References