A recording layer of a magneto-optical storage medium having a sublayer in accordance with the present invention comprises a recording layer on which information is recorded and stored; and a sublayer formed above or below the recording layer and made up of an alloy containing a transition metal, wherein a magnetic anisotropy energy of the sublayer is exchange-coupled to the recording layer, thereby enhancing a coercive force of the recording layer. The sublayer may be formed in a single-layered structure having one layer, or in a multi-layered structure having a plurality of layers. The sublayer is preferably made up of an alloy containing a transition metal used for the recording layer. According to the present invention, the coercive force of the recording layer can be increased by an exchange coupling effect between the recording layer and its adjacent sublayer, and thus, the stability of the magnetic domain in the recording layer can be improved. Therefore, the size of the magnetic domain can be significantly reduced, and the density of recording can be increased.