{
  "id": 13947481,
  "title": "SM founder Lee Soo-man returns home with tech-driven double debut",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/sm-founder-lee-soo-man-returns-home-with-tech-driven-double-debut-13947481",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-12T12:02:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20261012/sm-founder-lee-soo-man-returns-home-with-tech-driven-double-debut"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three years after being ousted from SM Entertainment, its founding member Lee Soo-man returned to Korea to launch two new idol groups through his tech-driven entertainment venture, A2O Entertainment. The debut ceremony took place at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday, coinciding with the release of their digital singles \"Superstar\" and \"Neon.\"\n\nLee Soo-man, who had been forced out of SM Entertainment due to a boardroom dispute, unveiled the 15-member boy group A2O Soul and the nine-member girl group A2O Lite. Both groups performed for the first time at the joint showcase.\n\nThe new groups are part of a shared fictional universe called Soulite, an alien planet. Lee explained that what sets A2O apart is not just the uniqueness of their sound, but the entirety of their artistic presentation, from the song to the dance, music video, performance, and concert.\n\n\"Being different is not enough,\" Lee stated. \"I wanted everything to be distinct from what had come before.\"",
  "summary": "Three years after a boardroom battle pushed him out of SM Entertainment, the company he founded, K-pop mogul Lee Soo-man unveiled two new idol groups on Monday in his first music project in Korea since his noncompete agreement with HYBE expired in February. His Singapore-headquartered A2O Entertainment introduced 15-member boy group A2O Soul and nine-piece girl group A2O Lite at a joint showcase…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "SM founder Lee Soo-man returns home with tech-driven double debut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/sm-founder-lee-soo-man-returns-home-with-tech-driven-double-debut",
        "published": "2026-10-12T11:42:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}