K-pop mogul Lee Soo-man makes industry comeback with Singapore-headquartered A2O Entertainment
A K-pop agency has its headquarters right here in Singapore, and it’s helmed by none other than South Korean music mogul Lee Soo-man.
Even if his name doesn’t ring a bell, chances are you’ve heard of some of the iconic K-pop groups he helped bring to fame, including Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, EXO, and NCT.
Source: A2O Entertainment via Forbes
The 74-year-old founded SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment agencies, in 1995, and is widely credited with helping shape the modern K-pop industry.
Now, three years after leaving SM Entertainment, Lee has made his comeback with two new idol groups under his Singapore-headquartered agency, A2O Entertainment.
Headquartered in Singapore, with branches in three other countries
According to The Korea Times, Lee appeared onstage at a joint showcase for the groups at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday (12 Oct).
Source: The Korea Times
The showcase marked another milestone in his return to South Korea’s music industry following the expiry of a three-year non-compete agreement with HYBE in February this year.
Short for “Alpha to Omega”, A2O Entertainment has its headquarters in Singapore, with branches in the United States, China, and Japan.
A Yonhap News Agency report from October 2024 highlighted the significance of the Singapore headquarters to Lee’s overseas business activities while he was restricted from producing music in South Korea.
At the time, Lee’s representatives reportedly maintained that A2O’s activities did not violate his non-compete agreement, as the agency was based overseas.
Following the agreement’s expiry, A2O Entertainment Korea announced its first public audition programme in March 2026.
According to Singapore company registration information, A2O Entertainment Co. Private Limited was incorporated here on 25 Nov 2020 under its former name, Kairo Co.
Interestingly, Lee’s former agency SM Entertainment also has ties to Singapore. In 2022, it announced plans to establish its Southeast Asian headquarters here, while its K-pop training academy began operating in 2025 before officially opening in January 2026.
Boy group A2O Soul and girl group A2O Lite make double debut
Following his departure from SM Entertainment in 2023, Lee turned his attention overseas, debuting the predominantly Chinese girl group A2O May in 2024.
His latest venture saw the simultaneous debut of 15-member boy group A2O Soul and nine-member girl group A2O Lite, both of which are linked through a fictional universe centred on an alien planet called “Soulite”.
Source: Yonhap via The Korea Times
Lee’s longtime collaborator Yoo Young-jin, who has produced songs for numerous SM artists over the years, is overseeing the groups’ musical and performance direction.
Source: Yonhap via The Korea Times
The groups released new music on Tuesday (13 Oct), with A2O Soul unveiling ‘Superstar’ and A2O Lite releasing ‘Neon’.
The latter quickly made waves on South Korean music charts, reaching No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 just 29 hours after its release.
While neither group has any publicly identified Singaporean members, both feature multinational line-ups comprising South Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and American talent, reflecting the agency’s international ambitions.
Agency introduces 4D technology and new fan engagement platform
Beyond the music, Lee also unveiled A2O’s technology-driven approach to entertainment, building on the “culture technology” concept he developed during his time at SM Entertainment.
The agency used 4D Gaussian Splatting (4DGS) technology for the groups’ debut music videos, allowing performances to be digitally reconstructed and new camera angles to be created even after filming.
Lee revealed that he had been pursuing the idea for approximately 16 years, building on earlier multi-camera systems used for SM artists.
A2O also plans to introduce a new fan communication platform, alongside interactive live talk shows where artists and fans can interact through video in real time.
These initiatives are part of Lee’s broader plans to combine music, artificial intelligence, and immersive technology to create new entertainment experiences.
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Featured image adapted from News1 and Yonhap via The Korea Times.