G-Dragon and Yang Hyun-suk Cleared in Copyright Complaint as Police Decision Becomes Public

G-Dragon and YG Entertainment executive producer Yang Hyun-suk were cleared by police in a copyright-infringement complaint, with a decision made earlier this year only now becoming public.

Seoul’s Mapo Police Station concluded in April that there was insufficient basis to pursue Copyright Act charges against the two and closed the case without referring it for prosecution.

The complaint was filed in November 2024 by a composer who alleged that a song he had written and arranged, “G-DRAGON,” was used without permission during G-Dragon’s 2009 solo concert and later appeared on the concert’s live album under the title “When I Was Thirteen.”

YG Entertainment disputed that account, saying the issue resulted from how two songs with the same title were identified in the concert set list. The company maintained that the recording itself had not been copied without authorization.

Police investigated the allegations and conducted two searches of YG Entertainment’s headquarters and other relevant locations before ultimately determining that the evidence did not support the copyright-infringement claims.

The non-referral decision was finalized in April but was not publicly reported until October 7, bringing the police stage of the dispute to a close several months after the disposition itself.