30 Years of K-Pop in a Glance: SM’s 30th Anniversary Special Programs and Live Concerts Highlight Legendary and Next-Gen Artists

To mark its 30th anniversary, SM Entertainment featured a two-part special program on SBS that explored the 30-year development of the K-Pop industry. titled “K-POP The Beginning: SMTOWN 30,” the program covered SM’s past that launched K-Pop, its present, and its future prospects, capturing the attention of global fans. Hosted by BoA and SHINee’s Key, the show delivered a rich portrayal of SM’s 30-year journey through sincere interviews with SM officials, music industry professionals, critics, and artists, along with archival footage and stage performances from “SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE] in SEOUL,” which was successfully held at the Gochek Sky Dome in Seoul on January 11–12. The first part, broadcast on January 28, brought back timeless memories and emotions by showcasing the debut processes and hit songs of SM’s legendary artists such as H.O.T., S.E.S., Shinhwa, BoA, TVXQ!, SUPER JUNIOR, and Girls’ Generation. It also reaffirmed SM’s tremendous influence in shaping K-Pop industry trends, including the formation of fandom culture and the spread of the Hallyu wave. The second part, aired on February 1, focused on next-gen artists starting with JinYong, followed by BLACKPINK, IVE, aespa, RIIZE, EXO, Red Velvet, and NCT, presenting a timeline of SM’s unique musical style and concepts. It further heightened expectations among music fans worldwide by introducing future stars and trainees who will drive K-Pop’s progress through SM’s systematic casting and training system. The head of SM’s Artist Development Center revealed the casting story behind RIIZE’s Wonbin during the program. He said, “During the initial meeting, we watched Wonbin’s video and learned he lived in Ulsan. We sent someone to pick him up at Seoul Station and bring him here.” He added, “Normally, we don’t go to meet them; they come to the company on their own. But since he got off the train in Seoul, we thought we could take him to any company, so we had our staff bring him over.” Meanwhile, the newly released “2025 SMTOWN : THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE” includes a new group song and title track titled “Thank You,” along with 17 tracks in total, including reinterpretations of SM’s legendary hits by artists from different generations that were partially unveiled in the special program. All songs will be made available on various music platforms at 6 p.m. on February 14, SM’s anniversary date.