Bang Si Hyuk and Lee Soo Man Make Variety’s Top International Music Leaders of 2018

Two of K-Pop’s biggest executives, Bang Si Hyuk and Lee Soo Man, made it onto Variety‘s “Top International Music Leaders of 2018” list.

This list celebrates the global music industry’s most influential, innovative leaders. According to Variety, these 20+ “game-changers” are spearheading a new world order in music.

Big Hit Entertainment‘s founder, Bang Si Hyuk appeared third on the list, along with a list of his professional accomplishments.

Bang Si Hyuk founded his company in 2005, but did not debut his first independently managed K-Pop group, BTS, until 2013. Through BTS, Big Hit Entertainment has achieved skyrocketing global success, having sold millions of albums worldwide. In just a few short years, Big Hit Entertainment went from a small, relatively unknown company to one of K-Pop’s biggest money-makers.

SM Entertainment founder and K-Pop pinoneer Lee Soo Man took the eighteenth spot on Variety‘s list.

In the late 1980s, Lee Soo Man founded SM Entertainment, the company largely responsible for K-Pop’s immense popularity during the first Korean Wave. Decades later, SM Entertainment is still one of the most powerful companies in the Korean music industry. SM Entertainment is home to dozens of award-winning artists, including Girl’s Generation, EXO, Red Velvet, SHINee, NCT, and Super Junior.

Other big names on Variety‘s list include China’s Scarlett Li (Head of Music, Co-Founder of China Media Capital, Zebra Media)…

George Ash (President of Universal Music Asia Pacific)…

…and Stu Bergen, the American CEO of Warner Music Group‘s International And Global Commercial Services.

Both Bang Si Hyuk and Lee Soo Man have played critical roles in creating the K-Pop world we know today, and their contributions will continue to shape K-Pop’s future.