K-pop management agency IST Entertainment will launch a new boy band created through a survival program in the first half of this year, according to the agency Tuesday.

The survival program will be aired on local cable channel MBN and will also be available online via KakaoTV and the YouTube channel 1theK.

It is expected to showcase aspiring K-pop stars from around the world who will go through a series of performances to be judged on their potential and talent.

Korea’s Kakao Entertainment and Japan’s Sony Music Solutions jointly invested in the production of the upcoming show.

The title of the program has not yet been disclosed.

IST Entertainment is a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment. When it was established in 2011 it was called Cube Entertainment.

Prominent K-pop artists such as girl group Apink and boy bands The Boyz and Victon are represented by IST Entertainment.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]