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Lee Soo Man opposed the title at first. “King of K-Pop” looked very brash, very nightclub-esque – like you would see on a neon sign in Itaewon, the nightlife neighborhood of the South Korean capital. soul At one time it was popular with American soldiers and foreign visitors. “I asked him, ‘Couldn’t this be the father of K-pop?'” the 73-year-old recalled during a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He was discussing the title of Amazon Prime’s documentary about his career. The producers stressed that a bolder moniker would connect better with American audiences. After some back and forth, Lee relented. “I had to follow their decision.”
The deal reflects Lee’s pragmatic approach to breaking South Korean acts into the American mainstream – a three-decade quest that often required him to bend but never lose his vision. Now, Lee, widely credited as the founder of SM Entertainment and the architect of K-pop’s global expansion, will be inducted. Asian Hall of Fame with basketball legend on Saturday yao mingOlympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and rock icon Yoshiki, among others.
Lee remains a prominent but controversial figure k pop History. His label pioneered the industry’s intensive training system, recruiting young artists as young as primary school age and putting them through years of rigorous preparation. Some of their artists have challenged their contracts as unfair, sparking widespread debate about industry practices.
The recognition came as Lee returned to the spotlight following a controversial, high-profile departure from the agency he founded in 1995 – a management battle that included a public feud with his nephew and a bidding war over his shares. He has been busy since launching a new band, A20 MAY, in both China and the US. He is also investing in the high-tech production technologies of a boutique Chinese firm.
Born in South 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 techniques — he said he’s re-watching “The Matrix” to revisit filming techniques — to leading elaborate “worldviews” and virtual avatars for his K-pop band.
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 expensive lessons and years of trial and error.
When America Wasn’t Ready for K-Pop
Lee invested approximately $5 million in BoA’s 2009 US debut “Eat You Up”, one of the first songs by a South Korean artist to be written and produced primarily by Western producers – a bold early effort to bring K-pop to the American mainstream. But with few widely recognized Asian artists in American pop culture at the time, the market was not ready. After almost two years, BoA – already a megastar in Korea and Japan – decided to return home. Lee has said that the experience left him with lasting regrets.
Lee recalled, “When I asked the songwriters to revise ‘Eat You Up’, they refused.” “If we had changed it, I believe it would have yielded much better results.”
Sourcing the world’s best songs for K-pop
That setback taught Lee that K-pop needed to source global talent while maintaining creative control to adapt songs for the worldwide market. His search for the best track took him around the world.
“I once heard a song that was so good I couldn’t put it down,” he said, recalling the track that later became “Dreams Come True” for 1990s girl group S.E.S. “I could have bought a license to the song in South Korea, Hong Kong or Sweden. But I wanted to play it safe, so I found a Finnish address, went straight to meet the songwriter, wrote a contract and brought it back.”
At the time, top Western songwriters preferred Japan, the world’s second largest music market. “European songwriters were willing to sell in Asia,” Lee explained. “This way we finally created a system where the music of Europe, Asia and America could come together.”
Fantasy universes that keep fans engaged
That fusion became a signature of K-pop. Lee also helped pioneer another innovation: the elaborate fictional universe, or “worldview”, for groups like EXO and Espa – a storytelling approach that would later be adopted throughout the industry, including groups like BTS.
The concept emerged during his time in America, where he watched MTV transform music into a visual medium. “But we only have three or four minutes,” he said. “How can we convey dramatic, cinematic elements in such a short time?”
Lee’s solution was to create ongoing stories that unfold across multiple music videos and releases – think Marvel’s cinematic universe, but for pop groups.
Unable to attract established screenwriters, Lee developed the story himself. The strategy proved prescient: these interconnected narratives give global fans a reason to follow the groups during their comeback, waiting for the next chapter in an unfolding saga.
Despite K-pop’s global success, Lee remains focused on Asia’s potential. He sees South Korea as a creative hub where international talents learn production. “Korea should become a nation of producers,” he said.
Since the Asia-Pacific region is home to more than half the world’s population, he sees it as the center of entertainment’s inevitable future.
Their latest venture with the A20 MAY, which operates in both China and the US, is testing that approach in one of the most challenging markets, Asia. China’s entertainment landscape has become increasingly restrictive, with Beijing recently cracking down on “effeminate” male celebrities and youth culture. Asked about potential political risks, Lee dismissed the concerns.
“Political risk? I don’t really know much about it,” he said.
He said his goal is to increase South Korea’s cultural influence as a center of production while meeting China’s needs as it seeks to expand its soft power along with economic dominance.
“Culturally, does China need us? I believe they do.”
The documentary also addresses 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 escape accountability, especially when posted on servers outside South Korea’s jurisdiction, calling it a global issue that requires international cooperation. Lee advocates for worldwide standards on user verification and arbitration systems where victims can identify attackers without costly legal battles.
But Lee opposes the media’s focus on K-pop’s problems. “Must we always weigh the dark side equally with the bright side of the future?” he asked. “The media should consider whether K-pop represents more of a future or more of a past that holds us back. Instead of only discussing the dark side and dragging us down by clinging to the past, shouldn’t we be talking more about the future?”
More than three decades later, Lee’s definition remains straightforward: “K-pop is a new language of communication that transcends barriers. These languages flow naturally – what you can’t stop is the culture.”