The Korea Herald

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An invitation to S.M. Entertainment’s futuristic cultural universe

By Park Jun-hee

Published : June 30, 2021 - 15:08

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(From left) Lee Soo-man, chief producer and founder of S.M. Entertainment, talks with rookie girl group Aespa during SM Congress 2021. (S.M. Entertainment) (From left) Lee Soo-man, chief producer and founder of S.M. Entertainment, talks with rookie girl group Aespa during SM Congress 2021. (S.M. Entertainment)

S.M. Entertainment recently announced plans to augment its business portfolio and garner more fans to engage in the process.

The label held an online YouTube event Tuesday morning to share its futuristic visions and strategies to lead the entertainment industry.

SM Congress 2021 was the first event of its kind since the company was established in 1995.

Lee Soo-man, the chief producer and founder of the label, said, “S.M. has been and is a content-based company. Our metaverse content has been acknowledged for its originality, especially in a time where valuable content is treasured. The killer content S.M. has compiled for 27 years is our valuable asset and will amplify in value.” 

The metaverse -- a combination of “meta” and “universe” -- refers to a virtual world shared by people in the real world.

“We were able to witness the wattage and value of prosumers by watching our content spread. The company has been vigilant on such changes for some time and is now eyeing to build intimate relationships with the prosumers who will reproduce S.M. ’s killer content in their styles,” S.M. CEO Lee Sung-su, one of the masterminds behind the new plan, said at the online event.

The agency also showed K-pop buffs singing or dancing along to Aespa and NCT to underscore the importance of fans devising innovative, unique content based on the artists they gravitate toward.

S.M. Entertainment is one of South Korea’s leading K-pop agencies, managing globetrotting acts such as EXO and NCT.