BoA, Changmin, Siwon and Brian with the Man Himself

Super Junior’s Siwon wrote on his twitter on January 4, “Finally got to steal away our boss. SM meet!” The next day on January 5, Brian wrote on his twitter, “With my previous boss and other friends.” The picture that was taken shows SM Boss Lee Soo Man, BoA, Siwon, DBSK’s Changmin, and TRAX Jung Mo. YG Entertainment is usually famous for its family atmosphere, but in this case all the SM Entertainment people really look like family! Lee Soo Man and BoA appear especially close as they are tightly hugging each other.

Lee Soo Man Wanted "Udong" As Debut Name for Shindong

On the December 13 episode of SBS "Strong Heart," Super Junior’s Shindong revealed some of Lee Soo Man’s name-making methods. On this program, he said, "Chairman Lee Soo Man suggested at first, ‘Since you have a funny image, how about Udong for your name?’" Shindong continued on to say, "I couldn’t debut with the name Udong (Udong is the Korean pronunciation of Japanese udon), so I told him that it was too much. He then suggested, ‘How about Dong Choon?’"

On December 13, on KBS’s Strong Heart, Super Junior’s Shindong revealed SM Entertainment celebrities and idols’ name-making methods. On this program, he said, "President Lee Soo Man suggested at first, ‘Since you have a funny image, how about Udong for your name?’"

Pictures and Performances from the 2011 Korean Popular Culture and Arts Award

In one of the most interesting award speeches of the day, Park Jin Young said, "Culture is different from cars; simply large quantities of exportation is not good enough. The results won’t be good if we simply eport our culture without understanding it. Culture isn’t a one-sided advancement; it is exchange. Koreans should also enjoy other cultures."

Talk of the Town: SM Entertainment’s Growing Influence in K-Pop

One of the most trending topics in K-Pop last week was SM Entertainment’s (SME) growth in stock price value. It was reported that Lee Soo Man, founder and chairman of SME, saw his total share value for SME surpass 110 billion won ($100 million USD) for the first time on July 13th, reflecting his growing prominence in the overall K-Pop industry. He currently owns 24.43% of SME’s total stocks, which saw its closing price end at 27,500 won ($26 USD) per share on KOSDAQ that day. It was the highest value SME has ever seen since entering KOSDAQ in 2001, and also the most value Lee Soo Man has had so far.

Submit News Tip