Lee Soo Man initially opposed the title. “King of K-pop” he felt it was too bold, too reminiscent of a nightclub, perhaps something displayed on a neon sign in Itaewon, a district in Seoul, South Korea's capital, once frequented by American soldiers and international tourists. “I asked them, ‘Couldn’t it be Father of K-pop?’” the 73-year-old reminisced in a recent conversation with The Associated Press.
TL;DR
- Lee Soo Man, the "King of K-pop," is being inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame for his global impact.
- He developed innovative strategies, including trainee structures and fictional universes, for K-pop's worldwide growth.
- Lee's career includes a significant investment in BoA's U.S. debut and sourcing international songs for K-pop.
- He is also exploring new ventures in China and advocating for global standards to combat online hate.
He was discussing the title of Amazon Prime’s documentary about his career. The producers insisted the bolder moniker would resonate better with American audiences. After some back-and-forth, Lee relented. “I had to follow their decision.”
The compromise speaks to 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 break his vision. Now, as the founder of SM Entertainment and widely credited as the architect of K-pop’s global expansion, Lee will be inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame on Saturday alongside basketball legend Yao Ming, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and rock icon Yoshiki, among others.
Lee continues to be a significant yet debated personality in K-pop's past. His company established the industry's demanding trainee structure, finding talent from as early as elementary school and subjecting them to extensive, tough conditioning. A number of his performers have contested their agreements as unjust, igniting wider discussions on the sector's methods.
This acknowledgment comes as Lee returns to public view following a disputed, highly publicized exit from the company he established in 1995. This leadership struggle involved a public dispute with his nephew-in-law and a contest for his shares. He's remained active, launching a new musical group, A2O MAY, in both China and the United States. Additionally, he's putting capital into a small Chinese company's advanced manufacturing processes.
Having originated in South Korea, Lee pursued his master's degree in computer engineering within the U.S. This technical foundation subsequently shaped his methods for visualization and advanced production techniques, noting he's been rewatching “The Matrix” to review cinematography, and for developing innovative “worldviews” and digital personas for his K-pop groups.
The Hall of Fame recognition for Lee, marked by “confirms that K-pop has become a genre that the mainstream is now paying attention to”, arrived only after significant expenses and extensive experimentation.
When America wasn’t ready for K-pop
Lee put approximately $5 million into BoA’s 2009 U.S. Launch, featuring “Eat You Up,”, which was among the initial tracks by a South Korean performer largely penned and crafted by Western creators. This represented a daring early effort to introduce K-pop to the American mainstream. However, given the scarcity of prominent Asian figures in American popular culture then, the market wasn't receptive. Following close to two years, BoA, who was already a massive star in Korea and Japan, opted to go back to her home country. Lee has stated that this venture resulted in enduring regrets for him.
“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.”
Sourcing the world’s best songs for K-pop
Lee learned from that setback that K-pop required sourcing international talent while retaining creative authority to tailor songs for a global audience. His search for ideal music led him across the globe.
“I once heard a song that was so good I couldn’t let it go,” he said, recalling the track that would later become “Dreams Come True” for S.E.S., the late-1990s girl group. “I could’ve bought the license to the song in South 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.”
At that moment, leading Western lyricists focused on Japan, which was the planet's second-biggest music industry. “European songwriters were willing to sell to Asia,” Lee elaborated. “That’s how we eventually built a system where music from Europe, Asia, and America could come together.”
Fictional universes that keep fans hooked
This blend evolved into K-pop's defining characteristic. Lee also played a role in introducing another novelty: intricate fictional universes, or “worldviews,”, for acts such as EXO and aespa. This narrative strategy was subsequently embraced throughout the industry, notably by groups like BTS.
This idea came about while he was in the U.S., observing how MTV turned music into a visual experience. “But we only have three or four minutes,” he commented. “How do we express dramatic, cinematic elements in such a short time?”
Lee's approach involved crafting continuous stories that developed through various music videos and releases, akin to Marvel's cinematic universe, but adapted for pop music ensembles.
Since established screenwriters couldn't be attracted, Lee created the storylines himself. This approach turned out to be insightful, as these linked narratives provide international fans with motivation to follow various groups through their comebacks, anticipating the subsequent part of an ongoing epic.
While K-pop enjoys widespread popularity, Lee's attention is fixed on Asia's untapped possibilities. He foresees South Korea evolving into a center for creativity, attracting global artists to study production techniques. “Korea should become the country of producers,” he stated.
With the Asia-Pacific region home to more than half the world’s population, he sees it as entertainment’s inevitable future center.
His latest venture with A2O MAY, which operates in both China and the U.S., is testing that vision in one of Asia’s most challenging markets. China’s entertainment landscape has grown increasingly restrictive, with Beijing recently cracking down on “ effeminate ” male celebrities and youth culture. Asked about potential political risks, Lee dismissed concerns.
“Political risk? I don’t really know much about that,” he said.
He said he aims to elevate South 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.”
The 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 South 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.
Lee, however, pushes back against the media's attention to K-pop's issues. “Should we always weigh the dark side equally with the bright side, the future?” He inquired. “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?”
For over thirty years, Lee's definition has stayed simple: “K-pop is a new language of communication that transcends barriers. These languages move around naturally — what you can’t stop is culture.”