David Yong
{{Short description|Singaporean businessman (born 1987)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Yong
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1987}}
| birth_place = Singapore
| education = {{hlist|Anglo-Chinese Junior College|University of Bristol (LLB)}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Businessman|singer}}
| years_active = 2014–present
| title = CEO of Evergreen Group Holdings
| website = [https://davidyong.asia davidyong.asia]
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| origin = Seoul, South Korea
| genre = {{hlist|K-pop}}
| instrument = Vocals
| years_active = 2021–present
| label = {{hlist|RBW}}
| current_member_of =
}}
}}
{{Chinese
|order=st
|s=杨孔霖
|t=楊孔霖
|p=Yáng Kǒnglín
}}
Yong Khung Lin{{Cite news |last=Lim |first=Joyce |date=3 August 2024 |title=S'porean David Yong, who was in Netflix's Super Rich in Korea, charged with falsification of accounts |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/s-porean-businessman-david-yong-who-starred-in-netflix-show-super-rich-charged-with-falsification-of-accounts |access-date=8 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923 |archive-date=24 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924004111/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/s-porean-businessman-david-yong-who-starred-in-netflix-show-super-rich-charged-with-falsification-of-accounts |url-status=live }} ({{Zh|c=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.
Early life and education
Yong 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.
He studied law at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom in 2013.{{Cite website |last=Lim |first=Ariel |date=16 May 2024 |title=How timber scion David Yong grew the family business by grafting new ideas |url=https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/interviews/timber-david-yong-evergreen-assets-management/ |access-date=12 September 2024 |website=The Peak Magazine |language=en |archive-date=10 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210192859/https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/interviews/timber-david-yong-evergreen-assets-management/ |url-status=live }} Initially working as a lawyer, he soon joined his family's timber business, Evergreen Teak Trading, founded by his father Yong Ing Fatt in 1990. In 2014, following Myanmar's ban on raw timber exports, Yong decided to shift his focus to furniture manufacturing, specializing in high-quality Burmese teak. The move into furniture manufacturing helped expand Evergreen Group Holdings (Evergreen GH) beyond timber trading.
Career
= Music career =
In 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. He initially found it difficult to communicate in Korean, having to learn it within a span of months. He first collaborated with 4Men on the track "My Way", which was released in December 2021.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Jan |date=17 September 2022 |title=Singaporean lawyer-CEO David Yong makes K-pop debut, signs with Mamamoo's agency |url=https://www.tnp.sg/entertainment/music/singaporean-lawyer-ceo-david-yong-makes-k-pop-debut-signs-mamamoos-agency |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=www.tnp.sg |language=en |archive-date=24 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924004112/https://tnp.straitstimes.com/entertainment/music/singaporean-lawyer-ceo-david-yong-makes-k-pop-debut-signs-mamamoos-agency |url-status=live }} Yong made his music career on 5 July 2022, releasing a hip-hop track, "In My Pocket", featuring Kid Milli, and produced by Jeon Ji-yoon.{{Cite web |last=General |first=Ryan |date=8 November 2022 |title=The newest K-pop artist is a 35-year-old Singaporean CEO |url=https://news.yahoo.com/newest-k-pop-artist-35-233858029.html |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=NextShark |language=en-US |archive-date=24 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924004203/https://www.yahoo.com/news/newest-k-pop-artist-35-233858029.html |url-status=live }} "In My Pocket" received more than 10 million views on YouTube.
= Business career =
Yong is the chief executive of Evergreen GH and runs more than 15 businesses.{{Cite web |date=8 November 2022 |title=[INTERVIEW] Why Singaporean CEO chose to debut as K-pop star |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/07/732_339377.html |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=koreatimes |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712052057/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/07/732_339377.html |url-status=live}} 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.
Following his debut in 2022, he invested approximately {{SK won|10 billion|link=yes}} ($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.{{Cite web |last=Yoo |first=Hong |date=3 March 2024 |title=[Exclusive] Singaporean businessman David Yong to establish K-pop label in S. Korea this year |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240303050161 |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=The Korea Herald |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712053305/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240303050161 |url-status=live}} In August 2024, after the news broke of Yong being charged in Singaporean court for falsifying tax invoices for Evergreen GH, Attrakt stated that despite the memorandum of understanding signed between Yong and them, Yong's investment then had been minimal and that his ongoing legal issues would have minimal impact on their operations.{{Cite web |title=데이비드 용, 사기 혐의 기소…어트랙트 "MOU 체결했지만 투자·피해無" : 네이트 연예 |url=https://m.news.nate.com/view/20240806n12833 |access-date=15 August 2024 |website=모바일 네이트 뉴스 |language=ko |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815124607/https://m.news.nate.com/view/20240806n12833 |url-status=live }}
Personal life
Yong resides in the tallest tower in Seoul, the Lotte World Tower.{{Cite news |last=Manisha |first=lakhe |date=18 May 2024 |title='Super Rich in Korea' on Netflix: 3 hidden money lessons to learn from the series |url=https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/super-rich-in-korea-on-netflix-3-hidden-money-lessons-to-learn-from-the-series-david-yong-aren-yoo-mimi-bam-bam-11715839009480.html |access-date=12 July 2024 |archive-date=12 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712052838/https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/super-rich-in-korea-on-netflix-3-hidden-money-lessons-to-learn-from-the-series-david-yong-aren-yoo-mimi-bam-bam-11715839009480.html |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=16110922}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Singaporean businesspeople
Category:Singaporean expatriates in South Korea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yong, David}}