Profile Lee Joo-heon, CEO of The Muse Entertainment—The Designer of Reverse Success Who Turned an 800 Million Won Company into 60 Billion

Lee Joo-heon (36) is the founder and CEO of entertainment agency The Muse Entertainment.

He was born on September 9, 1990, in Daegu. Passionate about music, he entered Berkeley College of Music's Composition and Production program, but found academic music uninteresting. A music video he uploaded to YouTube caught attention, leading to his debut as a member of vocal group "Hi-Brow" under MBK Entertainment in 2015. He served in the Marine Corps and worked as a producer, including composing "No One Knows" for girl group Dia's mini sixth album. Before founding The Muse Entertainment, he operated a children's cafe.

On December 11, 2020, at age 30, he established The Muse Entertainment. In 2024, he debuted girl group RESCENE, and in 2026, achieved the top spot on Melon's Top 100 chart with the reverse hit "Love Attack."

Records and Evaluation

The Muse Entertainment's Business

The Muse Entertainment is an entertainment management agency located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The primary intellectual property is the five-member multinational girl group RESCENE. The members consist of leader Won-yi, Lib, Minami, Mei, and Jena from South Korea and Japan. Minami is from audition program "After School Excitement." RESCENE launched with pre-release single "YoYo" on February 29, 2024, and debuted with first single "Re:Scene" on March 26, 2024. They have continued with mini albums "SCENEDROME" (August 27, 2024), "Glow Up" (February 5, 2025), and second single "Dearest." Music distribution switched from Kakao Entertainment (February 2024 – November 2025) to KT Genie Music and Stone Music, and in Japan, they collaborate with ADA Japan label. Unusually for a small agency, the company maintains an in-house composition team for music production, and CEO Lee himself is credited as a producer. The company relocated to new offices this year.

Corporate Governance and Organization

The Muse Entertainment is an unlisted small and medium-sized enterprise with founder Lee Joo-heon as CEO. In-house directors are Kim Jae-hyung and Kim Hye-soo. Director Kim Hye-soo was a senior-junior of CEO Lee at Berkeley College of Music and is a founding member. According to Kim's remarks on MBC's "I Live Alone," the founding team consisted of only three people including the CEO, and they established the company with 10 million won in capital pooled from their own funds. Initially, Director Kim handled accounting and finance while the CEO personally drove members to their schedules. There were many trial-and-error moments, such as not knowing how to wear in-ear monitors at music broadcast venues and asking other team managers for guidance. As of 2026, the company has 18 employees with registered capital of 21.8 million won.

Performance and Finance

As of 2025, the company recorded 1.777 billion won in revenue, 5.624 billion won in operating loss, and 5.698 billion won in net loss. Total assets were 1.560 billion won, and total capital was negative 1.151 billion won, indicating a deficit in equity. These figures reflect the structure of the idol business, where costs from trainee education to music production, albums, and music videos are invested upfront. The situation reversed after the hit. The agency that previously sent hundreds of appearance requests began receiving casting inquiries first, and advertising proposals exceeded 100. Whether the company achieves profitability this year depends on how the revenue from the chart-topping song is reflected in the year-end settlement.

Investment History

At the time of the first investment in March 2021, the company valuation was 800 million won. Cumulative investment to date totals 6.19 billion won, with 5.5 billion won (88% of the total) from government funds managed by Smart Study Ventures, KNet Investment Partners, JB Investment, and Michigan Venture Capital. Just before the reverse hit in June 2026, the company raised 2 billion won in Series A investment from KNet Investment Partners and others. Following the reverse hit, the company valuation is assessed at around 60 billion won—a 75-fold increase in five years. Lee Dae-hee, CEO of Korea Venture Investment, evaluated it as: "It demonstrated the possibility that even small content companies can achieve meaningful results when differentiated planning capabilities combine with appropriate investment."

The Full Story of the 'Love Attack' Reverse Hit

"Love Attack" was released in August 2024. After debut, RESCENE had only one broadcast appearance opportunity. CEO Lee printed hundreds of member profile sheets, visited broadcasting stations, and personally delivered handwritten letters to production staff. He posted promotional content on the Marine Corps base cafe he frequented and the Arsenal fan community where he spent countless hours. He approached actor Kim Young-kwang on the street to propose content collaboration and left no stone unturned, even appearing at elementary school sports day events. In 2026, overlapping short-form challenges, the "Melon Yaho" meme, and a cover by singer John Park sent the song climbing the charts. Twenty-three months after its August release, it reached number one on Melon's Top 100 in July of that year. Member Minami reflected on broadcasts: "At first, I cried thinking the company would collapse."

Artist Treatment and Organizational Culture

The company monitors most of members' livestreams, with the CEO often appearing himself, earning praise for having virtually no broadcast incidents despite the members' rookie status. The fruits of success went first to the members. Their dorm where five members shared one bathroom became a 670-square-meter new dormitory with three bathrooms and a private room for the leader. Parent members received resort vacation trips, and parents now take turns caring for the dorm. CEO Lee goes to PC bangs with leader Won-yi and shares snacks together, gaining 20 kg and earning the nickname "Honey CEO." He lent his white BMW sports car to Won-yi's driving lesson content, and when his favorite Arsenal team won the Premier League, he distributed pocket money to the members. The fans' affectionate nickname "Styling CEO" originated from the Hi-Brow era music video where members joked that they "styled and styled and styled" again over his obscure fashion choices in the video.

Geoje Flood Relief Donation

RESCENE was appointed as ambassador for Geoje, leader Won-yi's hometown, in May 2026. In mid-August, Geoje was hit by record-breaking rainfall of 954.5mm over four days, causing landslides and flooding. Before revenue from the reverse hit was even settled and while in an equity deficit position, the agency visited Geoje and donated 50 million won in the joint names of RESCENE and the fandom "Remine." The fandom raised 40 million won on the fundraising page in one day, and an advertising company added 10 million won. Geoje Mayor Byun Gwang-yong said: "The warm heart that RESCENE has shared will be a great source of comfort to our citizens." RESCENE also serves as ambassador for Suwon.

Evaluation and Challenges

As an idol agency CEO, Lee Joo-heon is unusually well-received by fandoms. However, there are clear challenges. The company's intellectual property is essentially RESCENE alone, and this year's settlement will reveal whether the revenue from the chart-topping hit can turn the operating loss structure into profitability. The 36-year-old CEO rarely appears in press interviews. His management philosophy is conveyed only through the words and actions recorded by the members. Ten million won in capital, hundreds of profile sheets, handwritten letters, PC bang visits, and 50 million won. The achievement of growing a company starting with 10 million won in capital to a 60 billion won valuation in six years is remarkable in itself. But the real anticipation begins now. The next six years—converting this springboard created by the reverse hit into a proper launchpad—awaits. The next chapter of Lee Joo-heon and The Muse Entertainment, proving that K-pop's next story does not only come from large companies, is worth looking forward to.