SM Entertainment CEO Lee Sung Soo Claims Lee Soo Man Drove aespa To Tears While Preparing For A Comeback
Following the feud between SM Entertainment and its founder Lee Soo Man, current CEO Lee Sung Soo (also known as Chris Lee) has released a video which details what Lee Soo Man allegedly did that jeopardized the company.
From cash grabs to mismanagement, Lee Sung Soo did not hold back.
Even after he stops producing, SM would need to pay Lee Soo Man 6% of revenue sales from artists’ albums for the next 70 years, as well as 3% of management revenue for three years from 2023. That’s approximately ₩80.0 billion KRW (about $62.3 million USD). I was so ashamed to meet SM’s employees, artists, and all of our investors.
— Lee Sung Soo
Lee Sung Soo also had qualms about Lee Soo Man’s vision for the company. As many fans know, SM Entertainment suddenly shifted to being sustainable, with songs reflecting this change. For example, the winter album song “The Cure” directly talks about climate change and being environmentally friendly.
The charge was led by Lee Soo Man. Lee Sung Soo disagrees on the reflection of sustainability affecting artist concept.
Lee Soo Man had ordered the AR Team and Yoo Young Jin to reflect planting trees and sustainability in songs. Even aespa, who’s conceptual world has been spectacular, had been ordered to sing songs with lyrics about planting trees.
Parts of the lyrics include “just sustainability,” “lowering the degree by even one,” “co-existence,” and “greenism.” These words that have no relation to K-Pop at all appeared in the lyrics here and there. The early part of the song even contained “planting trees.” The aespa members were so upset they even got choked up [with tears].
— Lee Sung Soo
He blamed the comeback’s delay on Lee Soo Man, claiming that these demands by Lee Soo Man caused the AR Team to face challenges in making the concept relatable. SM Entertainment ended up canceling the song’s launch, causing a delay in aespa’s comeback.
More can be read about the matter below.
