Woollim’s CEO Dishes On Merger With SM, Business Decisions, And More

Kim Gura, a comedian, MC, and radio host, met with INFINITE’s Sunggyu to update fans about what it was like to be a celebrity in the military as well as other things about his company.

They met with the CEO of Woollim Entertainment and held a brief interview to answer questions received by fans.

What happened to the merger between SM?

He felt that they would create more synergy if they worked together, but SM didn’t bother to share their infrastructure with them and thought of it as separate things. They felt like they didn’t share anything with them and that there was no point in merging together.

Is Lee Jung Yeop the dictator of Woollim?

Kim Gura reveals that other employees of the company have stated that most of their opinions or ideas are usually 1% with almost 99% of the decisions being made by the CEO. In response to this question, the CEO felt that the employees were not being aggressive enough in their opinions and should have the confidence to stand by their ideas instead of backing down.

In regards to the CEO picking out even little things such as socks for groups like Golden Child, the CEO expressed that being an idol is very difficult and one false move could end their careers. He admits that although he is really detailed in everything they do, he is slowly backing down from it and teaching them the ropes before leaving everything up to them.

Why didn’t the CEO create a marketing team until now?

Fans are aware that Woollim have not had a marketing team for the past ten years and were curious as to the reason why. He reveals that they did have a marketing team and that he was in charge of everything. The managers also acted as the marketing team, making it a one-person system. Now that the company is bigger, they finally made an official marketing team.

What happened to the coffee shop that was run by Woollim?

The CEO stated that he chose all the coffee beans for the coffee shop but unfortunately it did not do well. Kim Gura gives his two cents and explains that the location was probably not the best and that the price point wasn’t appealing to the people who lived in the area. The CEO agrees that he should have bought cheaper coffee beans and sold it at a lower price. He adds that instead of closing the shop altogether, they plan to reopen as a coffee shop and Woollim fan merchandise store in the near future.

When will Sunggyu be able to start his vlogs?

Sunggyu reveals that he hasn’t received a proper response from the company yet and that he isn’t sure whether or not he can start. The CEO admits that he wasn’t straightforward with his answer and that he is currently trying his best to communicate better with his artists. Due to COVID-19, all of their plans for this year have been delayed so he is waiting for the right time for Sunggyu to start vlogging.

Hopefully fans will be able to see new content from Sunggyu soon!