K-pop fans in Singapore who are dying to travel to South Korea for exclusive merch or to catch a glimpse of their idols likely won’t have to anymore.
South Korean entertainment company, SM Entertainment, recently announced their expansion plans for Southeast Asia, which includes setting up headquarters right here in Singapore.
In case you didn’t know, SM Entertainment is home to legendary K-pop groups such as Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, and TVXQ.
Source: @GirlsGeneration on Twitter
According to CNBC, SM Entertainment confirmed their expansion and recruitment plans for Singapore in an email.
The HQ in Singapore will apparently be “managing joint ventures” with their existing offices in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Staff at the HQ here will additionally be communicating with South Korea’s HQ for “related ventures and plans”.
For those who’ve dreamed of being in the entertainment industry, here’s some good news — the company is reportedly hiring more local talents to increase its staff count.
They’re also looking out for local or fresh graduates for internships.
Furthermore, SM Entertainment even plans to launch cafés, merchandise stores, and pop-up exhibitions, so your faves may actually be closer to home.
Source: Wander With Jin
In a previous interview, the company’s founder, Lee Soo-Man, shared his interest in creating a K-pop group, NCT Singapore, if opportunities arose.
Source: @NCTsmtown_DREAM on Twitter
However, there’s no concrete statement that plans for this local group are underway.
Mr Lee further explained that SM Entertainment recruits and produces talent through its “Culture Technology” system.
Potential singers and dancers have to undergo four stages: casting, training, marketing and management, and producing.
It’s undeniable that SM Entertainment is an extremely successful company, with newer groups such as NCT and aespa making waves in the industry.
Hence, the prospect of them setting up their headquarters here on our little red dot becomes all the more exciting.
Hopefully, the opening of their new headquarters will bring the K-wave closer to Singapore and our neighbouring countries.
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Featured image adapted from Allkpop.
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