Lee Soo-man Pushes “Beyond K-pop” at A2O Entertainment, Announcing 4-Stage Path to Complete Globalization

Lee Soo-man, the legendary producer behind K-pop, is advancing a strategy for complete globalization that goes beyond Hallyu. Through A2O Entertainment, which he founded after leaving SM Entertainment, he has expressed his ambition to usher in an era of “Beyond K-pop.” In a written interview with Yonhap News on the 3rd, Lee Soo-man stated, “We must now move beyond the limited term ‘Hallyu,’” emphasizing that “the next step, stage 4, is complete globalization.” Founded SM Entertainment in 1995, Lee Soo-man has been instrumental in shaping K-pop’s history over the past several decades through groups such as H.O.T., BoA, Dongbangshinqi, SUPER JUNIOR, Girls' Generation, EXO, and aespa. His framework for Hallyu development outlines stage 1 as exporting K-pop, stage 2 as collaborating locally, and stage 3 as delivering K-pop within local markets. This theory has been adopted by most major domestic music agencies over the past 20 years, with each company now launching K-pop groups composed entirely of foreigners to enter global markets. Lee Soo-man noted, “Although I have designed and implemented the ‘Hallyu 3-stage theory,’ it is now time to advance to ‘Beyond K-pop.’” He explained that “both the Chinese activities of A2O’s artists and the upcoming activities in the United States and Japan are part of this globalization strategy,” adding that “A2O’s music is released under a new name, ‘Jalpa Pop,’ which refers to music targeted at Generation Z and Alpha, rather than K-pop.” Leaving SM Entertainment in 2023, Lee Soo-man launched A2O Entertainment to begin a new chapter in his career. A2O stands for “Alpha to Omega,” reflecting the goal of having celebrities and fans involved in every aspect from start to finish. The company debuted its first group, A2O May, in December, releasing a remake of Dongbangshinqi’s hit song “Jumun” through Chinese-language platforms. Lee Soo-man envisions three goals for the future: first, becoming the world’s leading Korean entertainment company; second, reinterpreting and producing content through the integration of celebrities and technology; and third, ensuring that celebrities and fans fully share these outcomes and experience joy together. His objective is to provide a platform where fans can participate directly, create content, and communicate with global celebrities, fostering a “play-to-create” culture where fans engage in creative reinterpretation while having fun. Lee Soo-man asserted, “Music has no borders—and shouldn’t have any. The biggest stars emerge from the largest markets,” adding that “in addition to Chinese music platforms, A2O’s music will soon be available on Spotify, and its artists will also perform in Western countries.” He further expressed excitement, saying, “I feel as though my musical career is just beginning now.”