CJ E&M, one of the country’s largest entertainment companies, is investing 25 billion won ($20.6 million) over the next three years in a new idol group that will perform throughout the year at a permanent venue. 

Boys 24 project envisions 24 male performers, selected through auditions and professional training, holding live performances throughout the year at an exclusive venue, according to a press release issued by CJ E&M on Friday. 

Boys 24’s show will combine K-pop, musical and acrobatics for a wholly new concept of K-pop performance, according to the entertainment company. Liveworks, best known as the management agency of Shinhwa’s Shin Hye-sung and Lee Min-woo, is partnering with CJ E&M in the project.

The show will launch in August at the Mesa Building Pop Con Hall in Myeong-dong, a major tourist-shopping destination in downtown Seoul. Ahead of the launch, CJ E&M will broadcasts programs that take the viewers through the entire project, from the trainee selection to their training and performance preparations.

Boys 24 members may eventually launch their individual entertainment careers with the full support of CJ E&M and Live Works Company, according to CJ E&M and Live Works Company.

Integrating K-pop and live performance, CJ E&M is developing a new business model that encompasses both the entertainment industry and the tourism industry, Ahn Suk-joon, head of CJ E&M music division, said in the press statement.

Meanwhile, Shinsegae DF is remodeling the Mesa Pop Con Hall into an exclusive venue for Boys 24 as part of an MOU signed with CJ E&M concerning the creation of hallyu integrated cultural venue last October.

By Jung Eun-jin (jej2403@heraldcorp.com)