Lee Soo-man

From Jeonju to the Airwaves

Lee Soo-man was born in Jeonju on June 18, 1952, and his musical journey began while he was a student at Seoul National University, where he studied on and off between 1971 and 1979. He joined the band April and May in 1971, debuting publicly the following year, but eventually departed for health reasons. His public image was defined by a "good boy" reputation, bolstered by his clean record during the 1975 weed scandal that implicated many Korean celebrities, and by his association with one of the country's top universities.

He found wider audiences with songs like "A Piece of Dream" (1976) and "Happiness" (1978), and played with the indie group Sand Pebbles in 1977. Outside the studio he worked as a radio DJ and television host, and he also performed in a trio called Masamtrio alongside Lee Moon-sae and Yoo Yeol, a name referencing their resemblance to a horse's long face. By 1980 he had formed his own group, Lee Soo-man and The 365 Days, but the heavy media censorship under the Chun Doo-hwan government effectively shut the door on his performing career.

Empire Builder and Industry Titan

Lee's influence over Korea's music landscape extended far beyond his own label. Even after stepping down from SM's board of directors in February 2010, he retained a role in the company's management and artist development divisions and continued to shape its output through Like Planning, which collected a six percent consultancy fee on revenue for its involvement in music production. He remained the largest shareholder, holding the company's management rights.

His entrepreneurial reach kept expanding: in May 2015 he founded the music publishing firm Culture Technology Group Asia, and in February 2019 he launched the drone company LeePollux. His standing in the global industry was formally recognized in January 2020 when Billboard named him among the world's most influential music leaders. Widely called the "president of culture" and credited as a pioneer of the Korean Wave, he also broke from his SM roots in 2020 by producing the EP [#] for the girl group Loona—his first major project outside his namesake company.

The Storm and the Road Ahead

The relationship between Lee and SM Entertainment fractured dramatically in October 2022, when the company announced it would terminate its production contract with Like Planning by year's end. By February 2023, SM declared it would restructure around a multi-production center system, effectively removing Lee's role as chief producer. The situation escalated into a corporate war: Kakao acquired a 9.05 percent stake and signed a funding agreement, while Lee sold his shares to Hybe, which then moved to acquire SM with his backing. The ensuing battle pitted Lee and Hybe against SM's executives and Kakao.

Lee's nephew by marriage and SM co-CEO Lee Sung-soo publicly accused Lee on YouTube of establishing a Hong Kong entity, CT Planning Limited, in 2019 to route six percent of artists' overseas earnings and evade taxes. The National Tax Service opened an investigation. Lacking Hybe's financial firepower, the rival eventually withdrew, leaving Kakao as the dominant shareholder. Lee stated he was "moving toward the future," continued his tree-planting projects, and founded Blooming Grace, a firm focused on fusing culture with technology, while also acquiring a stake in the Chinese drone maker EHang.

Did You Know?

• He donated ₩500 million to the Korean Red Cross for Sewol ferry disaster victims in 2014.