Lee Soo-man, 2025 Hall of Fame induction...AP 30 people who never broke their vision praise

By Jaewan, Ko

Nov 04, 2025

Lee Soo-man, 2025 Hall of Fame induction...AP 30 people who never broke their vision praise
Photo=A2O Entertainment



Lee Soo-man, A2O Entertainment Key Producer and Binary Leader, has been dedicated to the "2025 Asian Hall of Fame' Hall of Fame.

The event was held at The Builtmore Hotel in Los Angeles on the 1st (local time), and producer Lee Soo-man attended the event with girl groups A2O MAY, A2O Entertainment Producer Yoo Young-jin, and Girls' Generation Sunny.

This year, 12 people, including producer Lee Soo-man, Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, figure skating Olympic champion Michelle Kwan, Japanese rock artist Yoshiki, H Mart founder Kwon Il-yeon, and Vizio founder William Wang, were selected as donors.




CJ ENM Vice Chairman Lee Mi-kyung, who introduced producer Lee Soo-man at the awards ceremony, delivered a touching tribute, saying, `It is truly an honor to congratulate producer Lee Soo-man, the godfather of K-POP.'

Lee Soo-man, 2025 Hall of Fame induction...AP 30 people who never broke their vision praise
Photo=A2O Entertainment
He said "K-POP is a culture beyond just music and a global community that shares passion. Producer Lee Soo-man, who has a vision to connect generations and cultures with the power of music, has been constantly redefining the concept of K-pop for more than 30 years, emphasizing the philosophy of 'Culture First, Economy Next' long before Korean culture spread to the world. A pioneer of culture, a producer of vision, and our forever idol."

The news of the donation was reported by the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and the LA Post. The Associated Press described his management philosophy as "a person who hasn't broken his vision in 30 years" in an article titled \'King of K-pop'Lee So Man on his carer, a global industry and what's next" and assessed that his management philosophy has gone beyond mere music businesses into a "long-term project that designed the world's cultural ecosystem".




The Associated Press reported an episode in which he initially rejected the Amazon Prime documentary's title of the `King of K-pop' but embraced it to communicate with the U.S. `Lee Soo-man's pragmatic yet unwavering attitude is the decisive factor in driving K-pop to the U.S. liquor market.'

In addition, over the past 20 years, Lee Soo-man has expanded K-pop into the industrial ecosystem with 'Culture First, Economy Next' that combines AI, 4D video technology, and world view storytelling based on the philosophy of 'Culture First, Economy Next'.

Lee Soo-man, 2025 Hall of Fame induction...AP 30 people who never broke their vision praise
Photo=A2O Entertainment
Lee Soo-man, 2025 Hall of Fame induction...AP 30 people who never broke their vision praise
Photo=A2O Entertainment
LA Post introduced the 'Infinite Studio' 4D Gaussian Splitting System that Lee Soo-man is developing in cooperation with technology company 4DV Intelligence. This is a single shot that automatically generates multi-angle images, which innovatively reduces production time and cost, and received attention at the global graphic conference SIGGRAPH 2025. "I never see AI as a threat? It's a collaborator, not a threat," he said, stressing that "AI is a partner that does not replace creativity, but amplifies it, which is the key to unlocking the next stage of culture and technology."

Compared to the rapid development of AI technology, legal standards and regulations for AI-generated content and creators' rights are not in place, and clear laws and global standards are needed, he said, explaining that this is not just a problem in one country, but an urgent task that the world must focus on and solve.

The AP reported that producer Lee Soo-man invested about $5 million in BoA's 2009 U.S. debut song 'Eat You Up' project, but the U.S. market was not ready to accept K-pop at the time. He recalled the experience, saying "If the song had been modified a little bit, the result would have been different" and that this failure led to the conviction that we should build our own network of global creators".

Later, he connected directly with composers from around the world and purchased S.E.S.' hit song 'Dreams Come True' from Finnish composers. "I went to the Finnish address and wrote the contract myselfThe AP reported an anecdote and evaluated it as the starting point of the K-POP international collaboration system connecting Europe, Asia, and the United States.

The AP said that the Worldview system of groups such as EXO and aespa was created by producer Lee Soo-man inspired by the audiovisual language of the MTV era. He suggested a 'series narrative' that intertwines several music and videos into continuous narratives, saying "The music video should contain a movie-like story within three to four minutes." This structure served as an opportunity to evolve K-POP into a storytelling-type global content rather than a simple music genre.

The AP reported that producer Lee Soo-man also mentioned the shadow of the K-pop industry. He stressed the need for an international 'user verification and arbitration system', saying "Online malicious comments and anonymity issues are global issues across borders". The Associated Press evaluated this as "'leadership that encompasses the social responsibilities of the industry.'"

Lee Soo-man, 2025 Hall of Fame induction...AP 30 people who never broke their vision praise
Photo=A2O Entertainment
Producer Lee Soo-man, who performed on the stage of "2025 Asian Hall of Fame," said, `We receive this award on behalf of all artists and creators who believe creativity can make the world one,' stressing that K-POP has opened a stage for Asian artists to talk to the world with their own voices.

"Creativity has no borders and is a universal language that connects us all," he said. "Music is my lifelong language that moves the mind and connects strangers and the power to connect culture."

It also received a standing ovation from the audience, adding that `I hope Korea and Asia will not only be the land of artists, but also the home of producers.'

'Asian Hall of Fame' introduced producer Lee Soo-man as a"pioneer of the global music and entertainment industry" and revealed the reason for the dedication. He has been recognized for his innovative leadership in the global music industry as a whole, including being the only Korean to be selected for five consecutive years as a `Variety 500,' being the first Korean to win the 'Asian Society Game Changer Awards' (2016), and being listed as the 'Buildboard Impact List' (2020).

Recently, it is leading a new cultural paradigm that combines music, performance, visual, and storytelling by presenting Z-generation and Alpha-generation emotions.



star77@sportschosun.com