Former SM CEO Lee Soo-man, who auditioned for idols in China, invested in a drone company
Soo-Man Lee, former CEO of SM Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as Producer Soo-Man Lee), is active in China by investing in the drone business beyond the entertainment business.
On the 12th, Chinese self-driving aircraft company EHang announced on its homepage, “We have attracted $23 million (approximately KRW 29.7 billion) of private placement investment from producer Sooman Lee and strategic investors in Korea.” Lee Hang is a Chinese drone startup founded in Guangzhou in 2014 and listed on NASDAQ in 2019.
Following this, Lee Hang announced that he would promote collaboration with producer Lee Soo-man in the UAM (Urban Air Mobility) business in the Asia Pacific region along with attracting investment.
Producer Sooman Lee said, "EHang is the first mover and leading innovator in the UAM industry with great potential. As a long-term investor, I am happy to seize opportunities and contribute to growth through investment and collaboration with EHang." He added, "I am proud of the opportunity to create sustainable value through the convergence of cutting-edge transportation technology and popular culture."
According to the exclusive report of this magazine on the 10th, it was revealed that producer Lee Soo-man is currently staying in Beijing, China, and is in the middle of an idol audition for Chinese teenagers.
After selling his stake in SM, producer Lee Soo-man set up a company called Blooming Grace and is carrying out ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) projects. In addition to ESG activities and investment in new businesses, some predict that he will also produce K-pop at the same time.
In February, producer Lee Soo-man sold his 14.8% stake in SM to Hive for 422.8 billion won. Just as he left SM and said, “The world of music where the world is together is a combination of technology and music,” producer Lee Soo-man is showing a move to share technology and music.
Reporter Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr
