A2O Entertainment Launched by SM Founder Lee Soo-man

SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man has launched a new K-pop agency called A2O Entertainment, which has already revealed its initial signings.

A2O just recently made its formal debut, including with a brief YouTube video showcasing its early talent and with a website available in English, Korean, and Mandarin alike. Last time we checked in on Lee Soo-man, reports over the summer suggested that he was preparing to re-enter the K-pop arena after selling 14.8% of SM to Hybe.

That sizable stock sale kicked off an ugly takeover battle, with the professional home of BTS having attempted in earnest to secure a 40% controlling stake in its SM rival. Ultimately, the maneuver didn’t pan out for Hybe; multiple twists and turns later, Kakao managed to obtain the controlling SM interest.

Hybe has since dumped millions in SM shares, South Korean regulators only signed off on Kakao’s SM investment (with several conditions) this past May, and Kakao execs are still grappling with stock-manipulation charges in connection with the SM takeover.

Returning to Lee Soo-man’s latest venture, The Korea Times and others have indicated that the SM founder cannot participate “in any entertainment business activities in Korea for the next three years” due to the terms of his deal with Hybe.

Needless to say, that non-compete clause will directly affect the operations of A2O Entertainment, which is billing itself specifically as “a collaborative global artist development platform.”

In keeping with the “collaborative” descriptor and the decidedly young appearances of those featured in the agency’s teaser, A2O talent is being organized in four groups. The “low teen boys” category includes males 15 and under, whereas the “high teen boys” counterpart is for males 16 and up. These same age guidelines are in place for two female categories, per A2O.

While long-term career development (and scouting necessarily young artists) has always been a priority in K-pop, A2O is evidently taking things a step further with its “rookies,” the youngest of whom is just 12 years old, according to fan communities.

Among different things, that means the individuals could be releasing projects via A2O for decades to come. As described by the agency, fans will follow each above-mentioned group’s training process, with the “low teen” members eventually graduating to “high teen” as the latter begin officially dropping music.

Though other concrete details about A2O and its rookies are few and far between at present, the involved persons don’t look to hail from South Korea, per regional coverage and the aforementioned fan sites – with seemingly all but one signee (who’s from Japan) having been born in China.

Plus, A2O has already established profiles on Chinese social and video platforms including Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin. “CAWMAN,” A2O relayed as well, “is an acronym created from the first letters of Cartoon, Animation, Webtoon, Motion Picture, Avatar, and Novel.” Said acronym “hints at the innovative future of the content A2O will showcase,” the agency spelled out.

Regarding separate efforts to apply the K-pop model to global talent (and to help K-pop acts command commercial results on the world stage), Geffen and Hybe have formed a girl group called Katseye. And Titan Content, led by former SM CEO Nikki Semin Han, appears to be gradually announcing the members of its debut group after holding auditions in several countries.