이수만 (Lee Soo Man)

Born on June 18, 1952, Seoul, South Korea, Lee Soo Man is a record executive and record producer. He is best known as the founder of the 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. He debuted as a Singer in 1972 & Founded S.M. Entertainment in 1989, which is now the largest management and record label in South Korea. He stepped down from the board in 2010.

Artists under his Label, S.M. Entertainment, include prominent K-pop artists such as BoA, Kangta, S.E.S., TVXQ, TRAX, The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, Henry, f(x), Zhou Mi, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, and formerly to artists like H.O.T., Fly to the Sky, Shinhwa, Kim Jae-joong, Park Yoochun, Kim Junsu, and Jessica.

It also manages a number of actors, including Kim Min-jong and Lee Yeon-hee. In Japan, S.M. Entertainment co-publishes Avex Trax releases for artists including Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, and Koda Kumi, as well as Johnny’s Entertainment artists such as Arashi and KAT-TUN.