Lee Soo Man
Encyclopedia
Lee Soo Man is a South Korea
n entrepreneur
and the founder & chairman of S.M. Entertainment Co.,Ltd.
Group, which includes two subsidiaries (SM Academy and SM TinTin Entertainment) specializing in K-pop
groups.
Lee started his career as a singer while attending Seoul National University
in 1972. He co-founded the agency in 1989, and it has taken an extremely important position within the South Korean entertainment industry. SM is now the largest record label
in South Korea
, due to the success of artists such as H.O.T, S.E.S., Shinhwa
, BoA
, TVXQ
, Super Junior
, Girls' Generation
, SHINee
, and f(x)
.
1976, with hits like 「Happiness」, and 「One piece of Dream」, he became quite famous. The following year, he received the 「MBC TOP 10 Singer」 award. Besides singing, he was also a successful TV host during that time.
government began its policy of censoring the media. As a result, Lee saw no real future in Korean entertainment. The next year, 1981, he went back to pursuing his original dream of being a top engineer and moved to California to attend California State University, Northridge
and to continue work on his Master's degree. His primary research area was in the field of robotics. However, Lee witnessed the revolution of US entertainment at that time, the MTV
generation(Michael Jackson
's Thriller
for example), and he felt there was huge commercial potential in that industry. He made up his mind to "Replicate US entertainment in Korea."
1985, immediately after getting his Master's degree, he returned to Korea to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. His return was a success in a variety of areas, such as singing, hosting TV shows, and hosting radio programs. Moreover, he was also working as a part-time DJ and managing a restaurant.
for capital, he founded SM Entertainment
. Since then, he produced many groups, such as the dance group "hyon·jinyon", the folk group "han·DongJun", R&B singer "Liu in Jon", and "hyon·jinyon." 1995, SM Entertainment became a public company.
With the huge success H.O.T.
in 1996 as a beginning, Lee produced many superstars, such as S.E.S.
, Shinhwa
, Fly to the Sky
, BoA
, TVXQ
, Super Junior
, Girls' Generation
, SHINee
, f(x)
in the following 15 years. SM is now the single biggest entertainment agency in South Korea, and Lee is the most important figure within it.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and the founder & chairman of S.M. Entertainment Co.,Ltd.
SM Entertainment
S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
Group, which includes two subsidiaries (SM Academy and SM TinTin Entertainment) specializing in K-pop
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
groups.
Lee started his career as a singer while attending Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
in 1972. He co-founded the agency in 1989, and it has taken an extremely important position within the South Korean entertainment industry. SM is now the largest record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, due to the success of artists such as H.O.T, S.E.S., Shinhwa
Shinhwa
Shinhwa is a popular South Korean boy band and hip hop group. The group has six members , and debuted on March 24, 1998. It has enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies, g.o.d., Turbo , Fin. K.L., H.O.T. and S.E.S...
, BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
, TVXQ
TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
, Super Junior
Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...
, Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
, SHINee
SHINee
Shinee is a contemporary R&B South Korean boy band. Formed by SM Entertainment in 2008, they made their debut on May 25, 2008 on SBS's Inkigayo with their promotional single, "Noona Neomu Yeppeo "...
, and f(x)
F(x) (band)
f is a five member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2009. The name is a play on the mathematical notation for function, and when input with different 'x', there can be many different outcomes. f strives to be the kind of girl group that can change and adapt to many situations....
.
Early Years:1952-1972
1952, Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea. He did very well in school and was admitted to and entered Seoul University. He began singing in a coffee house in 1971.Singer Years:1972-1980
1972, Lee debuted as a singer, but didn't attain huge popularity during the first three years of his singing career.1976, with hits like 「Happiness」, and 「One piece of Dream」, he became quite famous. The following year, he received the 「MBC TOP 10 Singer」 award. Besides singing, he was also a successful TV host during that time.
Studying in US, Returning to Music: 1980-1989
1980, He formed the band 「i·suman·gwa·365Il」(Lee Soo Man and 365 days), which became the first heavy metal band formed in the industry 。But. at the same time, the new Chun Doo-hwanChun Doo-hwan
Chun Doo-hwan was a ROK Army general and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Chun was sentenced to death in 1996 for his heavy-handed response to the Gwangju Democratization Movement, but later pardoned by President Kim Young-sam with the advice of then President-elect Kim Dae-jung,...
government began its policy of censoring the media. As a result, Lee saw no real future in Korean entertainment. The next year, 1981, he went back to pursuing his original dream of being a top engineer and moved to California to attend California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
and to continue work on his Master's degree. His primary research area was in the field of robotics. However, Lee witnessed the revolution of US entertainment at that time, the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
generation(Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
for example), and he felt there was huge commercial potential in that industry. He made up his mind to "Replicate US entertainment in Korea."
1985, immediately after getting his Master's degree, he returned to Korea to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. His return was a success in a variety of areas, such as singing, hosting TV shows, and hosting radio programs. Moreover, he was also working as a part-time DJ and managing a restaurant.
Music Producer:1989-present
In 1989, with 200,000,000 wonWon
Won or WON may refer to:*The Korean won from 1902–1910:**South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea**North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea* Won , the Korean form of Yuan...
for capital, he founded SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment
S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
. Since then, he produced many groups, such as the dance group "hyon·jinyon", the folk group "han·DongJun", R&B singer "Liu in Jon", and "hyon·jinyon." 1995, SM Entertainment became a public company.
With the huge success H.O.T.
H.O.T.
H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym, standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.H.O.T...
in 1996 as a beginning, Lee produced many superstars, such as S.E.S.
S.E.S. (band)
S.E.S. , was a popular pop girl group that signed with SM Entertainment. Lasting from 1997 to 2002, they were viewed as the female version of H.O.T., another SM group who also enjoyed phenomenal popularity during the same years.S.E.S. was the first highly successful female K-pop group...
, Shinhwa
Shinhwa
Shinhwa is a popular South Korean boy band and hip hop group. The group has six members , and debuted on March 24, 1998. It has enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies, g.o.d., Turbo , Fin. K.L., H.O.T. and S.E.S...
, Fly to the Sky
Fly to the Sky
Fly to the Sky was a South Korean R&B duo, consisting of Korean American Brian Joo and South Korean native Hwanhee.Initially marketed as a duo that can sing, rap, and dance, their early works featured bubblegum pop and upbeat techno music. The duo later changed their image and style with the...
, BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
, TVXQ
TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
, Super Junior
Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...
, Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
, SHINee
SHINee
Shinee is a contemporary R&B South Korean boy band. Formed by SM Entertainment in 2008, they made their debut on May 25, 2008 on SBS's Inkigayo with their promotional single, "Noona Neomu Yeppeo "...
, f(x)
F(x) (band)
f is a five member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2009. The name is a play on the mathematical notation for function, and when input with different 'x', there can be many different outcomes. f strives to be the kind of girl group that can change and adapt to many situations....
in the following 15 years. SM is now the single biggest entertainment agency in South Korea, and Lee is the most important figure within it.
Discography
- Lee Soo Man, 1977
- Lee Soo Man, 1978
- 애창곡집, 1978
- Greatest, 1980
- Lee Soo Man, 1983
- Lee Soo Man, 1985
- 끝이 없는 순간, 1986
- NEW AGE 2, January 1989
- NEW AGE, November 1989
External links
- S.M. Entertainment Co., Ltd. - Official website
- S.M. Academy Co., Ltd. - Official website
- S.M. TinTin Entertainment Co., Ltd. - Official website
- Lee Soo-Man at ManiaDB
- Lee Soo-Man at CyworldCyworldCyworld is a South Korean social network service operated by SK Communications , a subsidiary of SK Telecom .Members cultivate relationships by forming Ilchon or "friendships" with each other through their minihompy....
BGM - Lee Soo-Man at Naver Music
- Lee Soo-Man at Daum Music