Comedy writer joins YG Entertainment

Yoo Byung-jae / Korea Times file

Comedy writer Yoo Byung-jae has joined YG Entertainment, one of the nation’s of top celebrity management companies.

On Thursday, the company’s official online blog, yg-life.com, posted an ad headlined, “Welcome to YG, Yoo Byung-jae,” stating that Yoo had begun working for the company. Beneath the headline is a photo of Yoo smiling.

The company also said it decided to hire Yoo because “he is not just a talented actor with an outstanding comical wit, but also deemed an asset to the company as a writer who brings creative content.”

Yoo, 27, has been a high-profile celebrity since 2012, not only as a writer for TV comedy show “SNL Korea” on tvN, but also as an actor regularly appearing on the show.

This led to an appearance on TV network MBC’s entertainment show “Infinity Challenge” in April during its “sixth man” project, in which the show searched for an additional regular member. Yoo was selected as one of eight candidates.

He eventually failed to become the sixth member, losing the seat to idol singer Hwang kwang-hee from boy band ZE:A.

Yoo finished TV series “Age of Superheroes” on tvN in late May. In the weekly fantasy-comedy series of eight episodes, Yoo acted as a 25-year-old university student with no knack for romance and employment who suddenly discovers his innate superpower and uses it to turn his life around.