Lee Suman Returns to K-Pop, Unveils Boy and Girl Groups at Once... Integrates AI, XR: "It Starts with the Song"

Returns to producing K-pop rookies in South Korea after more than three years
24 members share a universe, with unit activities also planned
AI and XR to expand video production and fan engagement
After China, A2O takes its global push to S

Lee Soo-man, key producer at A2O Entertainment, speaks at “Welcome to Soulight from A2O Soul A2O Light,” held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Yonhap News

Lee Soo-man (74), founder of SM Entertainment, has returned to producing K-pop in South Korea after more than three years, unveiling two new groups, one boy group and one girl group. He plans to build a production system that connects the two groups through a shared universe and expands their activities through various formats, including units and solo acts. He will also incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) technologies into video production and fan communication. His vision is to expand the idol-production model he developed during his time at SM, centered on music, performance and shared universes, into technology and platform businesses.

On October 12, Lee Soo-man, key producer and visionary leader at A2O Entertainment, unveiled the new boy group "A2O Soul" and girl group "A2O Light" at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Taking the stage, which evoked a spaceship, he said, "We are once again at a moment of great change," adding, "Today, I will open the door to a new beginning for A2O."

When Lee Soo-man sold his stake in SM to HYBE in February 2023, he agreed not to produce music in South Korea for three years. The non-compete agreement expired in February this year. During that period, he established A2O and pursued overseas business, focusing on China and the United States. In December 2024, for example, he introduced A2O Mei, a girl group made up of five Chinese members.

Lee Soo-man helped develop the idol-production system as the K-pop industry grew. After founding SM in 1995, he established a system for planning idol groups, from recruiting and training trainees to producing music and managing their activities, through acts such as H.O.T. and S.E.S. He later expanded into overseas markets with BoA and TVXQ, and introduced production approaches using units and shared universes through EXO, NCT and aespa.

Making their stage debut that day, Soul is a 15-member boy group, while Light is a nine-member girl group. Both groups consist of teenage members of various nationalities, including Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and American. Soul unveiled "SUPERSTAR," a modern reinterpretation of 1980s synthesizer music, while Light introduced "NEON," characterized by its heavy bass and repetitive lyrics. "SUPERSTAR" is a pre-release track from the group's debut album, while "NEON" is the group's debut digital single. Both will be released at 6 p.m. on October 13. Yoo Young-jin, who worked closely with Lee Soo-man for many years during his time at SM, participated in producing the music and performances for both groups.

The two groups share a universe called "Soulight." In the story, 15 boys and nine girls who feel a sense of emptiness on a planet where they can create anything they want travel across space to Earth, where they share their emotions and make music together. Some members of the two groups also performed together onstage that day. A2O plans to expand their activities through units with changing member combinations, solo acts and joint projects, while maintaining each group's distinct musical identity.

The boy group A2O Soul performs at “Welcome to Soulight from A2O Soul A2O Light,” held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Yonhap News Agency

Girl group A2O Light performs at “Welcome to Soulight from A2O Soul A2O Light,” held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Yonhap News.

Lee Soo-man devoted considerable time at the event to content production using new technologies. "Technology, including AI, is advancing at an ever-faster pace, changing not only how content is made but also how humans and reality are recorded and used," he said. The "4DGS (4D Gaussian Splatting)" technology introduced that day captures an artist's movements simultaneously with multiple cameras, then reconstructs them in a three-dimensional space incorporating time data. It allows scenes to be rendered from different viewpoints even after filming is complete. Lee Soo-man said, "We also applied new filming methods to the music videos for A2O Soul and A2O Light."

He described the technology as an extension of the "Matrix Camera System" used in music videos for BoA, TVXQ, Girls' Generation and SHINee in the past. A2O also plans to introduce XR content using 4DGS. Lee Soo-man also raised the possibility of using data collected during filming as training material for AI and robots in the future.

The company also plans to expand how fans and artists communicate. A2O's platform, "Blooming Talk," offers AI-powered artist chats and voice calls, as well as exclusive content. Lee Soo-man said the platform would introduce a video-talk feature at the end of October, allowing users to see one another as they talk. He added that it would eventually launch interactive live talk shows where artists communicate in real time with multiple fans.

These business plans are also in line with the globalization strategy Lee Soo-man has emphasized since leaving SM. In an interview last year, he said K-pop needed to move beyond producing music in South Korea for export overseas, as well as local joint ventures and production, and pursue full globalization. A2O's "Zalpha Pop" concept likewise focuses on Generation Z, Generation Alpha and the global market rather than nationality. A2O's introduction of a multinational rookie group in South Korea, after first launching its business overseas, is an extension of this strategy.

A2O's production approach continues the unit system and shared-universe strategy that Lee Soo-man had pursued since his time at SM. AI-powered fan platforms and video technologies are also areas seeing growing use in the K-pop industry. The key challenge is how effectively A2O can translate these plans into content and business results. The costs of producing and managing the activities of 24 rookies at once, as well as the education and management of teenage members, are also challenges. With major entertainment companies having already built global production and distribution networks, the musical identities and fan bases of the two groups, along with the ability to generate revenue from the technology business, are expected to be key factors determining their future performance.

While discussing technology and the shared universe, Lee Soo-man also emphasized the importance of music. "As long as K-pop groups are called singers, I believe the most important starting point is ultimately the song," he said. "The feeling that they are different from existing K-pop should also start with the songs." He added, "Before you try to figure out what is different, I hope you first get the feeling that you like it."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.