Perry, a producer and rapper affiliated with YG Entertainment who created music for Jinusean (지누션) and BIGBANG (빅뱅), has been missing for many years. South Korean SBS investigative program “Unanswered Questions” (그것이 알고싶다) recently announced it would officially investigate Perry's long-term disappearance. On September 17, the production team posted on their official social media, appealing for clues from anyone with information. Perry was last seen in Los Angeles, USA, in 2010 and has been out of contact ever since, with no public news for 16 years.
The production team stated that Perry had been active in the Korean music scene since the mid-1990s. After being last seen in Los Angeles in 2010, he disappeared. They are currently seeking individuals who know his recent whereabouts or can contact his family.
Born in 1971, Perry is from Oakland, California. According to reports, he was shot by gang members in his late teens. After recovering, he moved to Guam, where relatives lived, and began working officially as a DJ, rapper, and dancer.
Later, Sean (션), a member of Jinusean and a close friend of Perry's from their time in Guam, invited him to participate in Jinusean's first album. This marked the beginning of Perry's connection with YG, and he subsequently became one of YG's early core producers.
Perry went on to participate in the music production for various representative YG artists, including Jinusean, Perry, Lexy (렉시), 1TYM (원타임), and BIGBANG. He was a key figure in shaping YG's early musical style.
However, after Perry participated in the production of BIGBANG's Japanese album in 2011, his name gradually disappeared from YG's album production credits. Sean, who was closest to him at the time, was also asked about Perry's whereabouts and only revealed that Perry had returned to the U.S. and lost contact. This led outsiders to believe that Perry had ended his collaboration with YG. But parting ways with YG was one thing; Perry seemed to have 'vanished' entirely thereafter.
Perry's nephew reportedly revealed that Perry was last seen in Los Angeles in 2010, and there has been no concrete news since. His family also reported him missing to the U.S. State Department, but years have passed without any progress.
The nephew also stated that no one has seen Perry in Guam for years, making it highly unlikely that he returned there. Over the years, the family has tried to file missing person reports through other administrative agencies, but because his last known location could never be confirmed, the assistance available from relevant authorities has been limited. The news of Perry's long-term disappearance has led to continuous speculation among Korean netizens about his whereabouts.
In July of this year, Song Baek-kyoung (송백경), a former member of the YG group 1TYM, posted on Brunch, discussing his past interactions with Perry, which further fueled public curiosity about what happened to him. Song Baek-kyoung stated that he generally knew why Perry left YG but “couldn't say it himself.” He recalled that Perry used to smoke frequently and would go drinking at Hongdae (홍대) nightclubs on weekends, sometimes getting heavily intoxicated.
However, around the time he participated in the production of Lexy's first album, Perry suddenly quit smoking and drinking, and gradually lost contact with his friends. Song Baek-kyoung revealed that he had asked Perry if he had changed his phone number, hoping Perry would give him the new contact information. Unexpectedly, Perry replied, “You don't need to know my number.” The revelation of this past incident has reignited discussion about the reasons for Perry's disappearance.
Now, with “Unanswered Questions” officially joining the search, public attention is focused on Perry. Whether this producer, who contributed to YG's early music development and collaborated with many iconic artists, will finally have new clues emerge after 16 years of disappearance, has become a highly discussed topic in Korea.
