JYP Entertainment will establish a subsidiary in Latin America and hold a new audition program in the region, the agency said Thursday.

The move comes as part of its efforts to “expand tour locations for affiliated artists and new business, while establishing communications channels with local fans,” said JYP Entertainment in a press release. The subsidiary will be launched sometime in the third quarter of this year, according to the agency.

JYP Entertainment will also host an audition program titled “LatinAmerica2Korea” to launch a Latin American girl group “based on [the] K-pop [training] system.” The agency will collaborate with the Latin America subsidiary of U.S. record label Universal Music in a “strategic partnership” for this endeavor, JYP Entertainment said.

The agency will create a “unique group that retains its authentic Latin essence while benefiting from the unparalleled training and creative standards that JYP is renowned for,” according to a Billboard article released on Thursday.

The agency has previously debuted U.S.-based multinational girl group VCHA in January through an audition titled “America2Korea” held in the United States. The audition was held in 2022 in collaboration with U.S. record label Republic Records.

To find out more about VCHA, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]