“A tragedy in the music industry”… Chairman of the Korea Singers Association spoke up about SM’s management dispute

Chairman of the Korea Singers Association Lee Ja Yeon expressed her regret over the management conflict at SM Entertainment. 

After having an emergency meeting with the Korea Singers Association executives on February 16th, Chairman Lee Ja Yeon said, “As a person in the pop culture industry and a singer, I really respected Lee Soo Man’s hard work and achievements”.

She confessed, “I’m worried that such confusion may affect K-pop and the music industry negatively. I can’t believe that he, who led K-pop to industrialize, has become a scapegoat as if he were a ‘product of the old era’”, adding “This will leave a bad image in the overseas market”.

Chairman Lee Ja Yeon explained, “He is remembered as a ‘pioneer of the music industry globalization’ and a ‘front runner of the original K-pop’. His artistic spirit and entrepreneurial determination were the cornerstones that built SM and expanded K-pop to become a culture nowadays”, adding “ Beyond SM’s management structural problems and conflicts, it will be a tragedy in the music industry if he steps down in disgrace”.

She continued, “He might make management mistakes. However, it is such a sad thing that he, our senior singer and the living witness of K-pop history, could collapse from being ousted by the closest aides he trusted”, expressing her heartbroken feeling.

Lastly, she emphasized, “I hope the conflict will not hurt both sides and be solved smoothly. Rather, I hope this with become an opportunity for improvement and development”, adding “I hope SM, which has been accompanied by Lee Soo Man’s artistic soul, will not be destroyed by the ‘game of money’”.

Meanwhile, SM’s founder and former executive producer Lee Soo Man and SM co-CEOs Lee Sung Soo & Tak Young Joon are in dispute over SM’s management rights. CEO Lee Sung Soo, Lee Soo Man’s nephew, recently raised various suspicions related to Lee Soo Man.

Source: daum