Lee Soo-man: The “King of K-pop” Whose Vision Engineered a Global Music Empire

A recent profile published by Fortune has reignited global admiration for Lee Soo-man, the legendary founder of SM Entertainment, often hailed as the “King of K-pop.” 

The feature explores how his technical expertise and production-driven approach transformed South Korea’s music scene into a world-dominating cultural force.

Lee’s background as an engineer and technologist has long distinguished him from traditional entertainment executives. 

Rather than focusing solely on stardom, he envisioned music as a fusion of creativity, science, and storytelling, an ecosystem where innovation fuels artistry.

“Korea should become the country of producers,” Lee recently said in an interview.

“The future belongs to those who create, not only those who perform.”

That statement captures the core of his philosophy, what he calls Culture Technology, a system designed to nurture creativity through structure, training, and cutting-edge innovation.

 Under his leadership, SM Entertainment pioneered digital music systems, virtual concerts, and AI-driven fan engagement long before these became industry norms.

The Fortune profile highlights how Lee’s approach shaped global sensations like EXO, Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, and NCT, each meticulously built to appeal across languages and continents. 

His focus on cultural storytelling and technical precision established K-pop as both an art form and an export industry.

Beyond the glamour of the stage, Lee Soo-man’s enduring legacy lies in the systems he built, bridging technology, discipline, and emotion. Industry experts believe that this model offers vital lessons for emerging markets like Nigeria, where Afrobeats is rising globally. 

By investing in production depth and creative infrastructure, Africa could replicate the sustained global influence K-pop now enjoys.

As Fortune observed, Lee Soo-man’s influence proves that the architects behind the music, the visionaries who build, innovate, and produce, are often the real stars of global entertainment.