Lee Soo-man
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Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
, a multinational South Korean entertainment company based in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. He has also been referred to as the "president of culture", as one of the pioneers of the Korean Wave. Lee debuted as a singer in 1971 while he was a student at
Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
. In 1989, he founded
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
, which has since become one of the largest entertainment companies in the country.


Biography


1952–1980: Early years and singing career

Lee was born in
Jeonju Jeonju () is the 16th largest city in South Korea and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many residents who work in Jeonju) ...
, South Korea on 18 June 1952, and attended
Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
on and off between 1971 and 1979. Lee debuted as a member of the band April and May (사월과 오월, alternatively 4월과 5월) in 1972 (he had joined the band in 1971), but he later departed from it due to health reasons. He gained spotlight for his "good boy" image, supported by the fact that he was one of the few people who were not involved in the
weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
scandal among Korean celebrities in 1975, and his high academic credentials in Seoul National University. He became known for hit songs such as "행복 (Happiness)", released in 1978, and "한송이 꿈 (A Piece of Dream)" released in 1976. In 1977, he was a member of the Korean indie band Sand Pebbles. In addition to his career as a musician and his studies in university, he worked as a radio DJ and TV host during this time. Lee Soo-man was also known for his trio with singers
Lee Moon-sae Lee Moon-sae (; ; born January 17, 1959) is a South Korean ballad singer who is often considered a Korean pop icon. Since his debut in 1978, he has released 16 full-length albums, including 1987's ''When Love Passes By'', which sold 2.85 million ...
and Yoo Yeol called Masamtrio (馬三트리오), named as such because of their appearances that resemble that of a long face of a horse. In 1980, he formed the band 이수만과 365일 (Lee Soo-man and The 365 Days). However, media censorship policies under the
Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean Republic of Korea Army, army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected Political strongman, strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah ...
government discouraged him from a career in the Korean music industry.


1980–1985: Studies in the United States

In the early 1980s, Lee decided to leave the entertainment world in order to pursue a career in computer engineering. He went abroad to work on a master's degree at
California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
, where he witnessed the rise of "superstars of the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
generation" such as
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. Inspired by the heyday of MTV in the United States, Lee set his sights on laying the foundation for the modern Korean pop music industry. In 1985, he returned to Korea "with a vision of what the Korean music industry could be."


1985–present: Founding SM Entertainment

Following his return to Korea, Lee ventured back into the entertainment world by working as a DJ and presenter. In 1989, after four years of saving money and gaining experience in the industry, he established an entertainment company called SM Studio (named after his initials) in the Apgujeong neighborhood of Seoul, and signed singer
Hyun Jin-young Heo Hyeon-seok (Hangul: 허현석; born February 3, 1971), better known by his stage name Hyun Jin-young (Hangul: 현진영), is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. He is known for his role in introducing hip-hop music to South Korea. H ...
. During the 1990s, SM Studio developed an in-house system that looked after all aspects of its artists' careers. Lee's approach was targeted at teenage audiences, and took a holistic view of the qualities needed to become a successful entertainer. The company was renamed
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
in 1995. In February 2010, Lee resigned from his position as a member of SM's
board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
, but maintained a role in the company's "management and artist development" divisions. On 23 January 2020, Lee Soo-man was listed by '' Billboard'' as one of the world's influential music industry leaders. On 5 February 2020, it was revealed by Jeff Benjamin writing for ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' that Lee Soo-man worked on South Korean girl group
Loona Loona (commonly stylized in all caps or as LOOΠΔ; ; ja, 今月の少女, Kongetsu no Shōjo, Girl of the Month) is a South Korean girl group formed by Blockberry Creative. The group was introduced to the public through a pre-debut project t ...
's EP '' ', which was his first ever project away from namesake SM Entertainment.


Personal life

Lee's wife, Kim Eun-jin, died from cancer on 30 September 2014. Lee is the paternal uncle of Sunny, one of the members of the popular SM group
Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...
.


Philanthropy

On 8 March 2022, Lee donated million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help those affected by the massive wildfires that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk. and also spread to Samcheok, Gangwon. Other social causes include: *Global Citizen, "Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream," 2021 **Chief director and executive producer, Asia **SM Entertainment and Dream Maker Entertainment selected to host concert in Seoul and represent Asia for the biggest social cause event in history *UNICEF, SMile For U Campaign, 2016-2022 **Supporting children, parents, childcare workers, and educators in Asian regions to receive quality music education **Target areas include Hanoi, Da Nang, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, and Dien Bien (Vietnam) *SMile Social Service Corp., SM Entertainment, 2014–present **Monthly and daily events for volunteer activities among SM Entertainment staff and artists **Activities include infant care, support for impaired youth, abandoned animal care, tree planting, and more **Continuously developing and increasing participant numbers: up from 130 in its first year to 462 participants in 2019 *Korean Red Cross, disaster relief, 2014 **Personal donation for the victims of the Sewol Ferry incident, one of the gravest tragedies in South Korean history


Controversy


Embezzlement case and conviction

In 2002, the
Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea The Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) is a governmental prosecutor organization in South Korea and is run under the Ministry of Justice. As a national representative of prosecutors, the Office works with the Supreme Cou ...
found evidence of Lee earning 10 billions worth of illegal market profits in August 1999 by acquiring 1.1 billion worth of stocks when listing stocks of SM Entertainment at
KOSDAQ KOSDAQ (acronym of Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, Korean: 코스닥) is a trading board of Korea Exchange (KRX) in South Korea established in 1996. Initially set up by Korea Financial Investment Association as an independent st ...
by a paid-in capital increase. The
Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea The Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) is a governmental prosecutor organization in South Korea and is run under the Ministry of Justice. As a national representative of prosecutors, the Office works with the Supreme Cou ...
also investigated Lee regarding circumstantial evidence of lobbying to producers in broadcasting stations and keeping a tremendous amount of cash in his personal office and vaults. Lee tried to escape prosecution by staying overseas from June 2002, and was found in a golf course in Los Angeles on 2 August in the same year. While on the run, Lee's passport was nullified and Lee was chased by Interpol. Lee eventually came back to Korea to be investigated on 22 May 2003. A pre-arrest warrant was issued on 7 October, and Lee was arrested on 8 October. On 14 October, Lee was approved of bail after paying 30 million won. On 19 October, Lee was prosecuted without detention. In September 2004, the
Supreme Court of Korea The Supreme Court of Korea () is the highest ordinary court in the judicial branch of South Korea, seated in Seocho, Seoul. Established under Chapter 5 of the Constitution of South Korea, the Court has ultimate and comprehensive jurisdicti ...
sentenced Lee to two years of imprisonment along with three years of probation. Lee was released in a special exemption in 2007 commemorating the fourth year of
Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...
's presidency.


Slave contract

In 2009, three members of the
boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male pop duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as DBSK, an abbreviation of ...
took their management agency
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
owned by Lee to court, claiming that the agency's 13-year-contract (often nicknamed a
slave contract A slave contract () refers to an unfair, long-term contract between Korean idols and their management agencies. Conditions Aspiring K-pop idols, known as "trainees," sign contracts with management agencies when the trainee is as young as 12 or ...
) was too long, too restrictive, and gave them almost none of the profits from their success. The following year, in 2010, South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) created a rule that limited entertainment contracts to seven years.


Pandora Papers

Lee Soo-man was included in the names of figures in the
Pandora Papers The Pandora Papers are 11.9 million leaked documents with 2.9 terabytes of data that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published beginning on 3 October 2021. The leak exposed the secret offshore accounts of 3 ...
.


Discography


Albums

* Lee Soo-man ( Jigu Records, 1977) * Lee Soo-man (Shinsegae, 1978) * 애창곡집 (Jigu Records, 1978) * Greatest ( Universal Record Co., 1980) * Lee Soo-man (Shinsegae, 1983) * Lee Soo-man ( Han Kook Record, 1985) * 끝이 없는 순간 ( Asia Record Co., 1986) * NEW AGE 2 (Han Kook Record, January 1989) * NEW AGE (Asia Record Co., November 1989)


Awards


State and cultural honors


Listicles


Notes


References


External links


SM Entertainment
– Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Soo-man 1952 births Living people 20th-century South Korean male singers 20th-century South Korean businesspeople 21st-century South Korean businesspeople Asia Game Changer Award winners Businesspeople from Seoul California State University, Northridge alumni Kyungbock High School alumni Musicians from Seoul People named in the Pandora Papers Seoul National University alumni SM Entertainment people South Korean chief executives South Korean DJs South Korean folk rock singers South Korean music industry executives South Korean pop singers South Korean radio presenters South Korean record producers South Korean rock guitarists South Korean television presenters