SYNK IN (싱크 인) is a South Korean entertainment company founded in 2009 by Kim Jeongguk. It is currently managed by Kim Jeongguk’s brother, Kim Jeongsim.
History[]
2009-2016: Founding, Roots and First Artists[]
SYNK IN was founded on May 15, 2009 by Kim Jeongguk in Seoul, South Korea. It was originally founded only for him as a soloist, but as he quickly grew in popularity, so did the company. In 2011, with only six employees, the company began their first auditions looking for trainees under the agency. In 2013, SYNK IN acquired the company Circline Entertainment, which was founded earlier in the year. In 2014, SYNK IN’s first ever artist GLITZZ, a four member girl group, debuted under the subsidiary Circline Entertainment. In 2015, SYNK IN debuted another group, which was a girl band, Forever Crush. Unfortunately, the group disbanded the next year. In 2016, SYNK IN acquired its second subsidiary, Route Music. Meanwhile, SYNK IN’s first five actors/actresses had signed with the label, three of which were GLITZZ members.
2017-2021: Company Reform, Next Generation Artists, First Soloists and Group Disbandments[]
In 2017, SYNK IN announced a full company reform, with the company now having over 100 employees and multiple signed artists. Over the next three years, SYNK IN acquired CNA Entertainment along with their famous boy group AMX, debuted EloVEvo, a boy group under Route Music, and signed three more actors/actresses, In 2021, EloVEvo debuted their first subunit, EloVEvo XYZ. Also in 2021, SYNK IN signed its first soloist, Lucas. By now, SYNK IN has eight active actors/actresses, and while GLITZZ disbanded that year, the members remained active as actresses under the agency.
2022: Subsidiary Acquirements, Division Establishments, Soloists and New Groups[]
In 2022, SYNK IN acquired both LISK Entertainment, along with its group OCTAVA and its subsidiary FBX Entertainment, as well as RISE Entertainment. In early 2022, RISE Entertainment teased their first girl group, MiXXiS, with their debut ultimately being postponed until 2025. Unfortunately, in 2022, boy group AMX disbanded. SYNK IN established four divisions, SYNK In China, Japan, Philippines, and Thailand. SYNK IN China is home to the subsidiary Xingyi Entertainment along with it’s subsidiary QiaNe Entertainment, which is a joint venture between Xingyi Entertainment and LISK Entertainment. SYNK IN now had five soloists signed under the agency.
2023: Group Acquirement, First Band, Sub-Unit Debut and Famous Soloist Signing[]
In 2023, SYNK IN subsidiary Route Music acquired the girl group VENUS from Galaxia Entertainment after they departed from the agency. That same year, subsidiary CNA Entertainment acquired the co-ed group 20F, formed by HYPE Labels and formerly under TSTAR Entertainment. EloVEvo also debuted their second sub-unit, EloVEvo ABC. In late 2023, SYNK IN debuted the boy band New Kidz On The Block. The company also signed former Fairy After member Gaia as a soloist. SYNK IN then had 13 actors/actresses signed under the agency.
2024: First Ever Trainee Group, First Global Auditions Titled “2024 SYNK IN Global Auditions” WIth Results and Pre-Debut Chinese Group[]
In 2024, SYNK IN subsidiary LISK Entertainment debuted their first trainee group, named iliohe. Its concept was that the group was self-written and self-produced, while the group brought in guest members every month for a release. SYNK IN also signed former Fairy After member Heiwa under Xingyi Entertainment as a soloist and actress, as well as MiXXiS member Kyara. On November 29, 2024 SYNK IN released a statement that their first Global Auditions would be underway, the 2024 SYNK IN Global Auditions. They announced four possible groups a trainee could apply for:
- 1st Group : Males born from 2003-2008, any nationality. Debut goal: May, 2025
- 2nd Group : Females born from 2004-2009, any nationality. Debut goal: November, 2025
- 3rd Group : Males born from 2003-2008, is or is by descent Chinese/Hong Kongese/Taiwanese only. Debut goal: 3rd-4th Quarter, 2025
- 4th Group : No limit on age, gender, or nationality. Debut goal: Unknown/If the trainee makes one of the other groups.
They released the form to apply in the same statement. They also revealed locations and when the applications would be accepted by. On January 1, 2025, the results of the final successful applicants were revealed, and the audition was closed. It was also revealed that another application would be going out sometime in late 2025-early 2026 for SYNK IN, another Global Audition. Out of the 10,394 people who applied from 14 countries, 3,823 passed the first round, 597 passed the second round, and 34 passed the third round, and out of those 34, 27 signed with the company who are all listed down below in order of acceptance. For the 3rd group of applicants (Chinese/Hong Kongese/Taiwanese males only), the pre-debut group was announced to be called XINGG (temporary name) under Xingyi Entertainment.
2025: Long Awaited Group Debut, First Annual Trainee Showcase, FIrst Survival Show Starborn Stage, Official CNA Entertainment New Group Reveal[]
In 2025, SYNK IN subsidiary RISE Entertainment debuted their girl group MiXXiS on January 1, 2025. That same day, the first annual trainee showcase took place in the National Theater of Korea, showcasing the talents of 53 trainees under the agency. On January 17, 2025, Kim Jeongsim (SYNK IN CEO) revealed they would begin a survival show for SYNK IN’s next girl group starting in January of 2025, titled Starborn Stage. They also announced they would release teasers starting on January 24th. On January 24, 2025, teasers for the show and all contestants were revealed along with the first airing date, revealed to be February 1, 2025. SYNK IN then has 17 actors/actresses and 8 soloists signed under the agency. In 2025, CNA Entertainment officially revealed the debut lineup of their new girl group, after teasing it since 2019. On April 5, 2025, the show Starborn Stage concluded and brought forth the group AXILAI.
Subsidiaries[]
- Circline Entertainment (2013-Present)
- Route Music (2016-Present)
- CNA Entertainment (2019-Present)
- LISK Entertainment (2022-Present)
- FBX Entertainment (2022-Present)
- QiaNe Entertainment (Formerly known as LISK Entertainment China) (2022-Present)
- RISE Entertainment (2022-Present)
Divisions[]
- SYNK IN China
- Xingyi Entertainment
- QiaNe Entertainment (With LISK Entertainment)
- Xingyi Entertainment
- SYNK IN Japan
- SYNK IN Thailand
- SYNK IN Philippines
Artists[]
Groups[]
- EloVEvo (Route Music) (2019-Present)
- EloVEvo XYZ (2021-Present)
- EloVEvo ABC (2023-Present)
- OCTAVA (LISK Entertainment) (2022-Present)
- MiXXiS (RISE Entertainment) (2022-Present)
- Venus (Route Music) (2023-Present)
- 20F (CNA Entertainment) (2023-Present)
- New Kidz On The Block (2023-Present)
- iliohe (LISK Entertainment) (2024-Present) (1st Trainee Group)
- AXILAI (2025-Present)
Soloists[]
- Lucas (2021-Present)
- Lee Youngji (2022, 2023-Present)
- Asuka (2022-Present)
- Lim Hye-bin (2022-Present)
- Kim So-young (2022-Present)
- Gaia (2023-Present)
- Heiwa (2024-Present)
- Sung Mimi (2025-Present)
Actors and Actresses[]
Jointly managed with NK E&A Management
- Hyeong Hwa-Young (GLITZZ) (2013-Present)
- San Jung-hwa (GLITZZ) (2013-Present)
- Yeom Hyun-Shik (2015-Present)
- Eun Chanwook (2015-Present)
- Yu Eun-Jung (GLITZZ) (2016-Present)
- Pan Baek-hyeon (2018-Present)
- Yang Changmin (2018-Present)
- Hong Jinkyoung (GLITZZ) (2019-Present)
- Son Kyoung (2022-Present)
- Hong Min-Jung (2023-Present)
- Si Young-Mi (2023-Present)
- Kim Minjoon (2023-Present)
- Heiwa (2024-Present)
- Kohina Akiyara (2024-Present)
- Nim Kasen (2025-Present)
- Suzume Kusakabe (2025-Present)
- Kim Dohwan (2025-Present)
Trainees[]
Circline Entertainment[]
CNA Entertainment[]
LISK Entertainment[]
Xingyi Entertainment[]
|
SYNK IN[]
|
Former Artists[]
Groups[]
- GLITZZ (Circline Entertainment) (2014-2021)
- Forever Crush (2015-2016)
- AMX (CNA Entertainment) (2019-2022)
Trainees[]
- Reiko Nishizaka (2019-2020)
- Sang In-Suk (2020-2021)
- Seo Jinsang (2020–2023)
- Cheon Seeun (2020-2022)
- Okita Tamiko (2021–2023)
- Bae Chin-Sun (2021-2022)
- Hwang Jaesang (2021-2023)
- Chang Kyu-bok (2023)
- Starborn Stage
- Kang Eumji (2025)
- Shin Kyujin (2025)
- Zofia Kowalczyk (2025)
- Hikari Kataoka (2025)
Policies[]
- The first policy of company SYNK IN is regarding its trainees. All trainees wanting to leave the company, no matter what subsidiary they are under will be accepted into another company if they wish to continue in the K-Pop industry before they leave company to make sure they have a future in the industry. Any trainee who does not want to continue their K-Pop career or actively operate under another company is free to leave once their contract expires. Trainee contracts typically last 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years before renewal.
- The second policy is in regard to idols. As a company, dating restrictions may vary depending on the subsidiary. If a subsidiary does not have a dating policy, the standard SYNK IN policy is to restrict dating for three years after debut if the idol is under 18 at the time of debut, and if the idol is 18 or over, dating is restricted for two years. Trainees are allowed to date after four years of training under any standard South Korean company.
- The third policy is also in regard to idols, specifically those who are wishing to take a hiatus or leave their group. If an idol wishes to act on either of these actions, if they are in the middle of promoting a comeback, or a comeback is less than a month away, then that member will stay in the group until then. Once this is over, the company will subtract the amount that the group has made (per member) from the expenses that the company has spent on that trainee since they joined the agency. If the cost ends up being a positive number, the idol must pay HALF of that. If the number is negative, the company will pay the idol 2/3 of the amount. Equation: Trainee Expenses-1/?(Group’s Earnings=Amount owed/given). The question mark is the amount of members in the group. For example, if a company has spent 36,000 USD on an idol during their trainee years, and they are in a four member group that has brought in 80,000 USD to the company, the company would have to pay the idol 2/3 of 44,000 (36,000-80,000), which is equal to $29,333.33 (42,513,968.50 Won).
Company Guidelines[]
Trainees[]
- As a trainee of SYNK IN, we value your education. This includes completing high school and passing all classes. Many of these classes are offered at all SYNK IN buildings, including academies located in Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, New York, and London. This is to make trainee life accessible for as many people as possible.
- Language is another important value. All trainees, no matter where their residency is are required to attend language classes.
- Required (Unless the trainee is a native speaker or is proficient already):
- Korean, English
- Highly Recommended
- Japanese, Mandarin
- Recommended:
- Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese
- Optional
- Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Hebrew, Tagalog, Cantonese, Russian, Italian, Arabic, Polish
- Required (Unless the trainee is a native speaker or is proficient already):
- All trainees are required to take Vocal and Dance lessons at least 4 times a week in both solo and group settings. Rap lessons are HIGHLY recommended and other classes such as Health are required to take for at least 4 months, meeting once a week.
- SYNK IN is always looking for new, talented trainees to make sure their social life and mental health are flourishing. SYNK IN provides access to counselors and doctors free of charge.
- Dorms are also provided free of charge. These are usually 2-3 bedroom apartments located at or within a 5 mile radius of SYNK IN HQ, with approximately 4-8 trainees per apartment (around 2-3 trainees per room).
- There are no co-ed dorms, only female or male dorms. The dorm building is owned by SYNK IN, and female and male trainees live on separate floors and are not allowed to enter the opposite gender’s dorms (unless given permission for special circumstances from SYNK IN)
- Besides dorms, female and male trainees are allowed to interact with each other
- On training days, trainees must turn their phones in when entering the building, and can have them during meal breaks (twice a day for 45 minutes) and give them back until the next break or until the trainee leaves the building.
- Trainees are allowed to date, but are not allowed to bring their partner to the building or the dorms, and breach of this will result either in contract suspension or termination (based on the severity)
Idols[]
- The typical idol contract is 7 years long unless negotiated otherwise
- Idols are allowed to date, but the relationship must be private and away from the public unless approved by the company
- Idols stay in houses opposed to dorms, and 50% of the costs of the dorms are paid through the idol’s paycheck (usually 15-50% of the idol’s paycheck depending on popularity)
- Idols are paid 75% or earnings, and the company receives 25% of earnings
View • Edit SYNK IN
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Xingyi Entertainment • LISK Entertainment • CNA Entertainment • Circline Entertainment • RISE Entertainment • Route Music • QiaNe Entertainment • FBX Entertainment | ||
| Current | Groups | OCTAVA • MiXXiS • VENUS • 20F • iliohe |
| Soloists | Lucas • Lee Youngji • Gaia • Heiwa | |
| Pre-debut | XINGG • CNA new girl group | |
| Trainees | SYNK IN Trainee Program | |
| Former | Groups | GLITZZ • AMX |
| Trainees | Bae Chin-Sun • Chang Kyu-bok • Cheon Seeun • Reiko Nishizaka • Seo Jinsang • Huang Yijin • Liu Lingxin • Moon Sarang • Paek Jiyun • Sang In-Suk • Okita Tamiko | |