SEOUL — A long-running mystery surrounding Perry Thomas Borja, the rapper and producer associated with the early years of YG Entertainment, has resurfaced after SBS launched a public appeal for information about his current whereabouts.
On September 17, SBS’s investigative program “Unanswered Questions” posted a notice seeking tips from anyone who knows Perry’s present situation or has contact with his family.
According to the program, Perry worked in South Korea’s music industry from the mid-1990s before he was last reportedly seen in Los Angeles in 2010. His whereabouts since then have remained unconfirmed.
Who Is Perry?
Born in 1971 in the United States, Perry became an important figure during the formative years of YG Entertainment’s hip-hop-oriented music scene.
He worked with early YG-associated acts including Jinusean, 1TYM, Lexy and SE7EN, helping develop the sound that became closely associated with the label’s early identity. He also released his own solo album in 2001.
Perry was also involved in music connected to BIGBANG, with SBS identifying the 2010 Japanese release “Beautiful Hangover” as his last known YG-related project.
His career placed him close to some of the artists and producers who helped establish YG before the company grew into one of South Korea’s major entertainment agencies.
The Disappearance Has Been Unclear for Years
Perry’s disappearance has circulated online for years, but much of the information previously available came from social-media posts and fan discussions rather than a sustained public investigation.
SBS reported that a family member had raised the issue publicly in 2021, saying Perry had last been seen in Los Angeles in 2010 and that a missing-person report had been filed with the U.S. Department of State.
Those accounts did not establish what happened to Perry, and his current location has remained unknown.
The new SBS appeal does not announce that Perry has been found or confirm any particular explanation for his disappearance. Instead, the program is asking people with reliable information to come forward.
Former 1TYM Member Shares Memories
Interest in Perry has also grown after former 1TYM member Song Baek-kyung discussed him in a blog post published in July.
Song said Perry had changed significantly around the period when they worked on Lexy’s debut album, eventually cutting off contact with people he had known.
Song described losing contact with Perry and expressed uncertainty about his later life, while wishing him health and well-being.
These recollections provide personal memories of Perry’s changing behavior, but they do not establish why he disappeared or what happened after 2010.
Why the Case Is Drawing Attention Now
For years, Perry’s disappearance was largely known among fans and people familiar with early YG history.
The situation changed when SBS, a major South Korean broadcaster, publicly asked for information as part of its investigative program.
That has renewed interest among K-pop fans who remember Perry’s contributions to the early YG sound and among longtime followers who had assumed the story was simply an unverified disappearance rumor.
The renewed attention is significant because Perry was not simply a peripheral name in the industry. His production work connected him to several influential artists during a formative period for Korean hip-hop and YG Entertainment.
No Confirmed Explanation Yet
Despite renewed online discussion, there is currently no confirmed public explanation for Perry’s whereabouts.
Reports have mentioned various theories and recollections circulating online, but these should not be treated as established facts without independent evidence.
SBS’s appeal is therefore focused on gathering information rather than presenting a conclusion about what happened.
The program is seeking people who may know Perry’s current status or who can connect investigators with his family.
A Missing Piece of Early YG History
Perry’s career is closely linked to an important chapter in Korean pop music.
He worked during the period when YG was developing its distinctive hip-hop identity and collaborated with artists who would become major names in the industry.
More than a decade after his last reported sighting, the renewed search has brought his name back into the spotlight—not because his whereabouts have been solved, but because a major investigative program is now actively asking whether someone knows where he is.
For now, Perry’s current whereabouts remain unconfirmed, and the central question that has persisted for 16 years remains unanswered.
