Appearing on tvN's 'Monthly Connect' Program, Lee Soo Man Reveals the Key to K-Pop's Success in the Global World

Kapanlagi.com - When talking about the world of K-Pop, the name Lee Soo Man cannot be left behind. It cannot be denied that the founder of SM Entertainment is a pioneer who is very successful in his field.

Receiving many awards, now Lee Soo Man shares his secrets of success through the Monthly Connect program broadcasted by tvN.

1. Episode 2 Monthly Connect

Credit: SM Entertainment

Episode 2 of tvN's 'Monthly Connect' program, which aired on February 1, 2021, invited SM Entertainment's executive producer, Lee Soo Man, and introduced him as a "mega-hit producer who discovers stars with a vision for change, a pioneer of K-Pop who laid the foundation for the Korean wave," emphasizing the global status of K-Pop and hallyu.

In the program, executive producer Lee Soo Man, when asked about his feelings as the first Korean to be included in the 'Variety 500' list for 4 consecutive years, answered, "I am very grateful. Honestly, I don't know what it means to be included in the 'Variety 500' list, but there are many famous people on that list. It is an honor because K-Pop has been recognized worldwide and has become a culture that influences the world."

Regarding his feelings about the status of K-Pop, executive producer Lee Soo Man said, "I was surprised when I received a production proposal from Capitol Music Group, which has debuted many famous artists like The Beatles and Katy Perry. I also feel that the status of K-Pop has increased by collaborating with major companies like CAA and Marvel," he continued, "We have created our own unique culture that accepts and embraces other cultures. SM holds songwriting camps where South Korea, the United States, and Europe create music together. I think this cross-genre effort is the beginning of K-Pop."

2. The Key to K-Pop Success

Executive producer Lee Soo Man also explained the key to the development needed for K-Pop in the global stage, "Forming a system for the sustainability of the industry. First, exporting music with high quality. Second, joint ventures to discover and train artists from abroad, and debut them as a team together with members from South Korea. Third, localization by forming a group of members of local nationality. It takes three steps to export K-Pop until its localization." Then continued with, "I think it is necessary to enter the foreign market to develop the entertainment industry and build a '360-degree business' management system including casting, training, production, and marketing. This industrialization and systematization become the foundation of K-Pop globalization that allows us to make long-term plans and invest in it."

Executive producer Lee Soo Man chose social media platforms as the catalyst for K-Pop globalization, saying, "SM is the first Korean entertainment company to open a YouTube channel in 2009. In the past, communication was very difficult due to limitations, but now, with the development of social media, anyone can access K-Pop." Thanks to this, the fandom has grown exponentially." Regarding the current COVID-19 crisis affecting the entertainment world, he said, "If you don't feel frustrated when facing difficulties, you can find a way to face the new era. 'Beyond LIVE' is the world's first online concert platform. It was not created overnight, but the result of the long-awaited globalization of the Korean wave in the digital era and introduced to the world for the first time in a pandemic situation."

3. The Future of K-Pop

Credit: SM Entertainment

When asked about the future of K-Pop, executive producer Lee Soo Man answered, "Artificial Intelligence (AI), bio, and nanotechnology open up a new normal era as the main industries in the future. I want to suggest a new direction for K-POP through Culture Technology (CT). The future will be a world of AI and celebrities, as I mentioned when I announced aespa, which operates in both virtual and real worlds."

Continuing, he said, "There will be an era where avatars replace our friends and secretaries. If one person has 10 avatars in our country, we can have 500 million inhabitants. I think if we have 500 million inhabitants, there will be many things that can be done industrially and the possibilities will be unlimited."

In addition, executive producer Lee Soo Man said, "This is the era of production, and we hope to become a producing country," and continued, "Because the virtual world has become more important during COVID-19, I believe South Korea will be a leader if its production includes the virtual world."

The panelists of the program 'Monthly Connect,' Professor Yoo Hyun-joon, CEO Kim Dong-hwan, Dr. Kim Ji-yoon, and Jang Ye-won, concluded the online interview with executive producer Lee Soo Man by saying, "Executive Producer Lee Soo Man is like the South Korean Elon Musk, an innovator," "An authoritative leader," and "I think executive producer Lee Soo Man's mind is in the future."

(kpl/ssm)