▲ Lee Soo-man, key producer and visionary leader at A2O Entertainment and founder of SM Entertainment, shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron on June 20, 2025 (local time), at the "France Music Week Summit" in Elysee Palace in Paris, in this photo provided by A20. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- Lee Soo-man, key producer and visionary leader at A2O Entertainment and founder of SM Entertainment, recently met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Korea–France cultural cooperation.

 

According to A2O on Monday, the meeting took place on Friday (local time) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, where Lee was attending the "France Music Week Summit." During the meeting, Lee was introduced as “the man who created K-pop.” President Macron praised him as an outstanding entrepreneur, creator, and producer.

 

President Macron directly proposed the establishment of a local A2O office in France and expressed his willingness to support closer collaboration between Korean and French creators. Lee expressed his gratitude in response. A2O added that Macron also instructed Minister of Culture Rachida Dati to explore the feasibility of such plans, indicating a serious commitment to follow-through.

 

A2O stated, “This was not a simple courtesy meeting. It demonstrated that France’s highest leadership is deeply aware of K-pop’s global impact and Lee Soo-man’s cultural vision. It could mark the symbolic starting point of a new model of cooperation between Korea and France.”

 

The France Music Week Summit, which Lee attended, is a global event where more than 100 leading figures in the international music industry gather for discussion. Participants included Robert Kyncl (CEO of Warner Music Group), Lyor Cohen (Global Head of Music at YouTube), and Olivier Nusse (CEO of Universal Music France).

 

Lee was the only speaker of Asian nationality and delivered a speech highlighting his long-promoted concept of “Culture Technology (CT)” and the importance of protecting creators’ rights in the era of AI.

 

He stated, “I imagine a world where fans go beyond being passive consumers and become ‘prosumers’ who directly participate in content creation. Fans reinterpret, remake, and take part in the creative process — and they should be able to receive fair economic rewards for that participation. Meanwhile, the rights of original creators must be strongly protected.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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