'King of K-pop' Lee Soo Man talks about his career and what's next

Lee Soo Man resisted the title at first. “King of K-pop” sounded too brash, too nightclub-esque — like something you'd see on a neon sign in Itaewon, a nightlife neighbourhood in the South Korean capital Seoul once popular with US soldiers and foreign visitors.

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“I asked them, ‘Couldn't it be Father of K-pop?” the 73-year-old recalled during a recent interview with The Associated Press. He was discussing the title of Amazon Prime's documentary about his career. The producers insisted the bolder moniker would resonate better with American audiences. After some back-and-forth, Lee relented. “I had to follow their decision.”

The compromise speaks to Lee’s pragmatic approach to breaking South Korean acts into the American mainstream — a three-decade quest that often required him to bend but never break his vision. Now, as the founder of SM Entertainment and widely credited as the architect of K-pop’s global expansion, Lee will be inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame on Saturday alongside basketball legend Yao Ming, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and rock icon Yoshiki, among others.

Lee remains a prominent but controversial figure in K-pop history. His label pioneered the industry's intensive training system, recruiting performers as young as elementary school age and putting them through years of rigorous preparation. Some of his artists have challenged their contracts as unfair, sparking broader debates about industry practices.