Person · 1995 · Seoul [37.56, 126.99]
Lee Soo-man
A former singer and television host, Lee Soo-man founded SM Entertainment in 1995 and engineered the casting, training, and production pipeline that turned idol groups into an exportable product. He is the architect of the manufactured-idol system, recruiting teenage trainees and pairing them with in-house songwriters and choreographers.
Evidence2
- Wikidata: Lee Soo-manWikidata
www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q484165
accessed 2026-06-04
- MusicBrainz: 이수만MusicBrainz
musicbrainz.org/artist/4d5ec626-2251-4bb1-b62a-f24f471e3f2c
accessed 2026-06-04
Connections1
collaborates with → Founding of SM Entertainment
Lee Soo-man established SM Entertainment in 1995, building the company around a deliberate pipeline of scouting, training, and production. The founding turned his vision of a manufactured idol into an institution rather than a one-off act.