SM CBO Lee Sanghwa, 3 HYBE Executives Named to Billboard's Touring Power Players List

U.S. '2026 Touring Power Players'
Overseeing global tours for aespa, NCT, and other acts
Kang Min selected for second straight year; Oh Yura and Ha Jeongjae also named

Lee Sanghwa, SM CBO. Courtesy of SM Entertainment.

Four executives overseeing the global concert businesses of SM Entertainment and HYBE have been named among the key figures in the global live entertainment industry by U.S. music publication Billboard. They include SM Chief Business Officer (CBO) Lee Sanghwa and HYBE Concert Business Division Head Kang Min, who have planned and operated world tours for K-pop artists including aespa and BTS.

According to the music industry on Nov. 9, Billboard announced its 2026 Touring Power Players list on Nov. 6 (local time). Each year, Billboard selects figures active in major areas of the global live entertainment industry, including concert planning and promotion, venue operations, and ticket sales and distribution. This year's list includes Live Nation Chairman Michael Rapino and AEG Presents Chairman Jay Marciano.

CBO Lee oversees SM's global concert business. Her responsibilities span everything from tour strategy for the company's artists to concert production, marketing, and operations. This year, she oversaw domestic and international concerts for Super Junior, SHINee, EXO, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, aespa, and RIIZE, among others.

aespa launched its fourth world tour, "SYNK : COMPLæXITY," with a show at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome this year. After performing in Taiwan in August, the group held shows in four Latin American cities, including Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Mexico, from September to October, as well as in 10 North American cities, including New York and Los Angeles in the United States and Vancouver in Canada. The group also performed at the major U.S. music festival Lollapalooza Chicago.

SM will expand its overseas concerts next year as well. aespa will continue its tour in nine European cities in January and February 2027. NCT WISH will hold a total of 21 shows in major Asian cities, including Seoul, while NCT 127 is also scheduled to hold additional shows in Asia. Max Changmin, Yesung, Minho, and WayV are also planning overseas concerts.

aespa performing. Courtesy of SM Entertainment.

Lee said, "SM is working to offer global fans a distinctive live experience based on each artist's musical identity and performance strengths. We will continue to expand the regions and scale of our global tours by developing concert strategies that take into account the characteristics of each market and fan demand. We will also strengthen the competitiveness of our global concert business so that more fans can experience SM artists' performances in person."

HYBE's representatives on the list were Concert Business Division Head Kang Min, Overseas Concert Business Team Head Oh Yura, and senior professional Ha Jeongjae. Kang was selected for the second consecutive year, following last year, while Oh and Ha were named for the first time this year.

They were responsible for planning, operating, and directing overseas concerts, including BTS's "Arirang" world tour, as well as shows by SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPEN. They also worked to identify new concert destinations and expand tour regions based on demand in each market.

HYBE ranked sixth in Billboard Boxscore's 2026 Midyear Top Promoters list. In Pollstar's 2026 Asia Focus ranking, the company recorded concert revenue of $247.97 million and sold 1,827,914 tickets, placing first in both categories among concert promoters in Asia.

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