Event · 1995-02-14 · Seoul [37.56, 126.99]
Founding of SM Entertainment
Lee Soo-man established SM Entertainment in Seoul on 14 February 1995, the company that would industrialize the idol-making process. Its founding marks the institutional birth of the manufactured-idol system, separating the artistic spark of Seo Taiji and Boys from the corporate machinery that followed.
Evidence2
- Wikidata: SM EntertainmentWikidata
www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q483938
accessed 2026-06-04
- Wikidata: Lee Soo-manWikidata
www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q484165
accessed 2026-06-04
Connections2
collaborates with → Lee Soo-man
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.
collaborates with → H.O.T.
Within a year of its founding, SM Entertainment debuted H.O.T. as the first full output of its idol-making system. The group was the proof that Lee Soo-man's company could convert auditions and training into a chart-topping product.