Yong Khung Lin[1] (Chinese: 杨孔霖, born 1987), more commonly known as David Yong, is a Singaporean businessman and singer. He is the current chief executive officer (CEO) of Evergreen Group Holdings of Singapore, a company with interests in timber trading, real estate, lifestyle and entertainment.
David Yong | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987 (age 36–37) Singapore |
| Education | University of Bristol (LLB) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Title | CEO of Evergreen Group Holdings |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | davidyong.asia |
Early life and education
editYong was born into a family with a timber trading business. His interest in K-pop was sparked in 2017 when he took his younger brother to a concert by the K-pop girl group Twice in Singapore.[2]
He studied law at the University of Bristol in Britain and worked as a trainee lawyer before joining the family business in 2014.[2][3] Early in his career, he helped expand Evergreen Group Holdings (Evergreen GH) beyond timber trading.[2]
Career
editMusic career
editIn May 2021, Yong moved to South Korea to pursue his music ambitions and was signed by Rainbowbridge World (RBW), the agency of popular K-pop girl group Mamamoo.[2] He first collaborated with 4Men on the track "My Way", which was released in December 2021.[2] Yong made his music career on July 5, 2022, releasing a hip-hop track, "In My Pocket", featuring Kid Milli, and produced by Jeon Ji-yoon.[4][2] "In My Pocket" received more than 10 million views on YouTube.[2]
Business career
editYong is the chief executive of Evergreen GH and runs more than 15 businesses.[3] Evergreen GH diversified its business portfolio to include real estate, lifestyle and entertainment. The company partnered with RBW to distribute content across Southeast Asia, co-produce artists and establish training schools for K-pop aspirants in the region.[2]
Following his debut in 2022, he invested approximately ₩10 billion ($7.5 million) in the South Korean K-pop entertainment agency Attrakt. At the time of his investment, Attrakt was facing challenges, including a legal dispute with its only artist, the girl group Fifty Fifty.[5] In August 2024, after the news of Yong being charged in Singaporean court for falsifying tax invoices for Evergreen GH broke,[1] Attrakt stated that despite the memorandum of understanding signed between Yong and them then, Yong's investment had been minimal and that his ongoing legal issues would have minimal impact on their operations.[6]
Personal life
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Lim, Joyce (2024-08-03). "S'porean David Yong, who was in Netflix's Super Rich in Korea, charged with falsification of accounts". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lee, Jan (September 17, 2022). "Singaporean lawyer-CEO David Yong makes K-pop debut, signs with Mamamoo's agency". www.tnp.sg. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "[INTERVIEW] Why Singaporean CEO chose to debut as K-pop star". koreatimes. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ General, Ryan (November 8, 2022). "The newest K-pop artist is a 35-year-old Singaporean CEO". Yahoo News. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ Yoo, Hong (2024-03-03). "[Exclusive] Singaporean businessman David Yong to establish K-pop label in S. Korea this year". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "데이비드 용, 사기 혐의 기소…어트랙트 "MOU 체결했지만 투자·피해無" : 네이트 연예". 모바일 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ Manisha, lakhe (18 May 2024). "'Super Rich in Korea' on Netflix: 3 hidden money lessons to learn from the series".
External links
edit- David Yong at IMDb