Lee Soo Man
| Lee Soo-man | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 June 1952 Seoul, South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Education | M.A. in Computer Engineering |
| Alma mater |
California State University, Northridge Seoul National University |
| Occupation | Founder of S.M. Entertainment |
| Net worth | US$168 million (2013) |
| Relatives | Kim Eun-jin (wife) Lee Hyeon-gyu (son) Sunny (niece) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이수만 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | I Su-man |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yi Su-man |
Lee Soo-man is a South Korean music executive and record producer. He is best known as the founder of S.M. Entertainment, a prominent South Korean entertainment company. He is also called the 'President of Culture', as he was a pioneer of the Hallyu Wave. Lee Soo-man made his debut as a singer in 1972, when he was a student at Seoul National University. He founded S.M. Entertainment in 1989, which is now the largest management and record label in South Korea. Although he stepped down from the board in 2010, he remains the largest shareholder, with a 21.3% stake. According to The Korea Herald, as of December 2013, Lee's stock holdings amounted to KR₩187 billion (USD$168 million), making him the richest stockholder in Korean entertainment.
Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea on 18 June 1952, and attended Seoul National University between 1971 and 1979. He debuted as a singer in South Korea in 1972, releasing songs such as "Happiness" and "One piece of dream". Besides singing, he also worked as a DJ and TV host.
In 1980, he formed the band 이수만과 365일 (Lee Soo Man and 365 days). However, media censorship policies under the Chun Doo-hwan government discouraged him from a career in the Korean music industry.
In the early 1980s, Lee decided to leave the entertainment world in order pursue a career in computer engineering. He moved to California to work on a master's degree at California State University, Northridge, where concurrently he witnessed the rise of "superstars of the MTV generation" such as Michael Jackson. Inspired by the rise of the MTV era in the United States, the ambitious Lee focused on setting his sights on forging and laying the foundation for the modern South Korean pop music industry similarly modeled after the United States. In 1985, he returned to Korea "with a vision of what the Korean music industry could be."
Following his return to Korea, Lee ventured back into the entertainment world 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' in the Apgujeong neighborhood of Seoul (naming the business after his initials) and signed singer Hyun Jin-young. 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 musician. The business eventually reemerged and traded as S.M. Entertainment in 1995.
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