Lee Soo-man, the 73-year-old founder of SM Entertainment and widely regarded as the architect of K-pop's global expansion, has been inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame alongside basketball legend Yao Ming, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and rock icon Yoshiki. The recognition comes as Lee emerges back into the spotlight following his contentious departure from the entertainment agency he founded in 1995, marking a new chapter in his three-decade quest to bring Korean acts into the American mainstream.
The music industry pioneer initially resisted being called the "King of K-pop" when Amazon Prime developed a documentary about his career. "I asked them, 'Couldn't it be Father of K-pop?'" Lee recalled during a recent interview with The Associated Press. The title seemed too brash to him, too nightclub-like – something he imagined seeing on a neon sign in Itaewon, Seoul's nightlife district once popular with U.S. soldiers and foreign visitors. However, producers insisted the bolder title would better resonate with American audiences, and Lee eventually relented, saying "I had to follow their decision."
This compromise reflects Lee's pragmatic approach to breaking Korean artists into Western markets, a journey that often required him to bend but never break his vision. Born in Korea, Lee studied computer engineering in the United States for his master's degree. That technical background would later inform his approach to everything from visualization and cutting-edge production technologies to pioneering elaborate worldviews and virtual avatars for his K-pop groups. He mentioned he's been rewatching "The Matrix" to revisit filming techniques as part of his ongoing creative process.
Lee's path to success was marked by costly lessons and years of trial and error. One of his most significant setbacks came with BoA's 2009 American debut with "Eat You Up," one of the first songs by a Korean artist to be primarily written and produced by Western producers. Lee invested about $5 million in this bold early attempt to bring K-pop into the U.S. mainstream. However, with few widely recognized Asian artists in American pop culture at the time, the market wasn't ready. After nearly two years, BoA – already a megastar in Korea and Japan – decided to return home, leaving Lee with lasting regrets.
"When I asked the songwriter(s) to revise 'Eat You Up,' they refused," Lee recalled. "If we had changed it, I believe it would have achieved much better results." This setback taught him that K-pop needed to source global talent while maintaining creative control to adapt songs for the worldwide market. His quest for perfect tracks took him around the world, including a memorable trip to Finland to secure the rights to what would become "Dreams Come True" for S.E.S., the late-1990s girl group.
Lee explained that at the time, top Western songwriters prioritized Japan, the world's second-largest music market, but European songwriters were willing to sell to Asia. "I once heard a song that was so good I couldn't let it go," he said. "I could've bought the license to the song in Korea, Hong Kong, or Sweden. But I wanted to play it safe, so I found the Finnish address, went to meet the songwriter directly, wrote up a contract, and brought it back. That's how we eventually built a system where music from Europe, Asia, and America could come together."
This fusion became K-pop's signature sound, but Lee also pioneered another innovation: elaborate fictional universes, or "worldviews," for groups like EXO and aespa. This storytelling approach would later be adopted across the industry, including by groups like BTS. The concept emerged during his time in the U.S., where he witnessed MTV transform music into a visual medium. "But we only have three or four minutes," he said. "How do we express dramatic, cinematic elements in such a short time?" His solution was to create ongoing narratives that unfold across multiple music videos and releases – essentially Marvel's cinematic universe approach applied to pop groups.
Unable to attract established screenwriters, Lee developed the storylines himself. The strategy proved prescient, as these interconnected narratives give global fans reason to follow groups across comebacks, waiting for the next chapter in an unfolding saga. This approach has become a cornerstone of modern K-pop marketing and fan engagement strategies.
Despite his innovations and success, Lee remains a controversial figure in K-pop history. His label pioneered the industry's intensive training system, recruiting performers as young as elementary school age and putting them through years of rigorous preparation. Some of his artists have challenged their contracts as unfair, sparking broader debates about industry practices that continue to this day.
Following his high-profile departure from SM Entertainment – a management battle that included a public feud with his nephew-in-law and a bidding war over his shares – Lee has remained active in the industry. He's been debuting a new band, A2O MAY, in both China and the United States, and investing in boutique Chinese firms' high-tech production technologies. This latest venture is testing his vision in one of Asia's most challenging markets, as China's entertainment landscape has grown increasingly restrictive, with Beijing recently cracking down on effeminate male celebrities and youth culture.
When asked about potential political risks in the Chinese market, Lee dismissed concerns, saying, "Political risk? I don't really know much about that." He believes he can elevate Korea's cultural influence as a center of production while meeting China's needs as it seeks to expand its soft power alongside economic dominance. "Culturally, does China need what we do? I believe they do," he stated.
The Amazon Prime documentary also addressed darker aspects of K-pop close to Lee's heart, including the suicides of SM Entertainment artists. He traces the problem to anonymous and malicious online comments that often evade accountability, especially when posted on servers outside Korea's jurisdiction, calling it a global issue requiring international cooperation. Lee advocates for worldwide standards on user verification and mediation systems where victims could identify attackers without expensive legal battles.
However, Lee resists the media's focus on K-pop's problems. "Should we always weigh the dark side equally with the bright side, the future?" he asked. "Media should consider whether K-pop represents more future or more past that holds us back. Rather than just discussing the dark side and dragging us down by clinging to the past, shouldn't we talk more about the future?"
Looking ahead, Lee remains focused on Asia's potential, envisioning Korea as a creative hub where international talent learns production. "Korea should become the country of producers," he said. With the Asia-Pacific region home to more than half the world's population, he sees it as entertainment's inevitable future center. For Lee, the Hall of Fame honor confirms that K-pop has become a genre that the mainstream is now paying attention to – an acceptance that came after years of persistence and adaptation.
After more than three decades in the industry, Lee's definition of his creation remains straightforward: "K-pop is a new language of communication that transcends barriers. These languages move around naturally – what you can't stop is culture." As he continues his work with new ventures and technologies, Lee's vision of cultural fusion and global connectivity through music remains as ambitious as ever.
