SM Founder Lee Soo-man Returns to Korea's Spotlight With A2O Debut Showcase

Lee Soo-man, the founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, is returning to the Korean stage for the first time in roughly two and a half years. He now serves as a key producer and visionary leader at A2O Entertainment.

A2O said it will hold a rookie group launch showcase and global debut show, "WELCOME TO SOULITE From A2O SOUL A2O LITE," on the afternoon of Oct. 12 at Kintex in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The newly formed boy group A2O SOUL and girl group A2O LITE will appear alongside Lee.

The event marks Lee's first official domestic appearance since May 2024, when he delivered a keynote speech at the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Nearly two and a half years will have passed since that appearance.

The pause was not by choice. In early 2023, Lee sold his stake in SM Entertainment to HYBE, and the deal included a non-compete clause that prevented him from operating an entertainment management business in South Korea. That restriction was lifted earlier this year, clearing the way for him to re-enter the domestic music market again.

This showcase will be his first time addressing Korean reporters since the limits were removed. Lee plans to take the stage himself to outline A2O's business direction, content plans, and entertainment technology strategy. The venue will also include an extended reality (XR) experience zone built with 4D Gaussian Splatting (4DGS) technology.

The two rookie groups developed under Lee's direction will also be introduced for the first time. A2O chose to unveil boy group A2O SOUL and girl group A2O LITE on the same day. After their debut performances at the event, each group will release a debut single on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. KST. A2O SOUL drops "SUPERSTAR" and A2O LITE drops "NEON."

The double rollout signals how Lee intends to re-enter the market he helped build: not with a single flagship act, but with a boy group and a girl group launched in parallel, united under a shared A2O identity and supported by a tech-forward presentation that has defined much of his earlier work.