“Culture Before Economy”: Lee Soo-man Inducted into Asian Hall of Fame, Reflects on the Future of K-pop and the Cultural Technology Revolution

LAPost | Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 2025— The 21st Annual Asian Hall of Fame ceremony took place in grand style at the century-old Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on November 1. Twelve individuals and organizations were selected from 613 nominees to receive this year’s honors. Inductees include “King of K-pop” Lee Soo-man, Japanese rock legend Yoshiki, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Olympic figure skating champion and former U.S. Ambassador to Belize Michelle Kwan, basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming, Korea’s first astronaut Soyeon Yi, William Wang, founder of American TV brand Vizio, Il Yeon Kwon, CEO of HMART, and Singapore’s Kwek family of Hong Leong Group.

CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee (left) presents the award to Lee Soo-man.
(Photo by: Richard Ren / LAPost)

CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, who presented the award to Lee Soo-man, delivered an emotional speech: “Lee Soo-man is my idol. He didn’t just create K-pop — he made it a global language.” Her words were met with thunderous applause.

Lee arrived on the red carpet with his signature poise, smiling for cameras and striking confident poses — a scene befitting the “King of K-pop.” (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

For Lee, the Asian Hall of Fame honor represents more than personal recognition. “This award is not only for me,” he told LAPost. “It’s for all Asians who use creativity to bring the world closer together. It symbolizes how Asian culture has truly entered the global mainstream.”

From left: HMART CEO Il Yeon Kwon, South Korea’s first astronaut Soyeon Yi, and internationally renowned producer Lee Soo-man. (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

Coincidentally, that same day The Washington Post ran a feature titled “‘King of K-pop’ Lee Soo Man on his career, a global industry and what’s next,” tracing his three-decade journey from founding SM Entertainment to driving the global rise of K-pop. The piece described him as “a visionary who bends but never breaks — a dreamer grounded in reality.”

李秀满接受LAPost专访 (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

Speaking with LAPost, Lee reflected on his earliest inspiration — attending American pop star Leif Garrett’s concert in Korea in the 1980s. Watching the crowd’s passion, he asked himself: “Why aren’t Korean artists celebrated like this? Why isn’t our music heard around the world?” Those questions became the foundation of his life’s mission. During his studies in the U.S., another realization struck him: “Korea always said ‘Economy first, culture later.’ But what if we reversed that — ‘Culture first, economy next’?”

Lee Soo-man, Girls’ Generation’s SUNNY, and A2O MAY pose together on the red carpet.
(Photo by: Richard Ren / LAPost)

That idea became his lifelong philosophy. “I decided that culture must become the core of national competitiveness,” he said. Three decades later, K-pop has evolved into a cultural ecosystem. Lee believes Korea’s next step is to become “a nation of producers,” fostering a creative environment where young talents from around the world come to Korea to learn and collaborate. He emphasized the need for more open visa systems and education programs to make Korea a true global cultural hub.

No longer confined to the entertainment industry, Lee is now pioneering what he calls Culture Technology (CT) — the fusion of creativity and innovation. Partnering with tech firm 4DV Intelligence, he is developing “Infinite Studio,” a 4D Gaussian Splatting system that generates multi-angle video from a single shoot. The technology, recognized at the world-renowned SIGGRAPH conference, could significantly cut production time and cost.

Lee Soo-man interviewed by mainstream media, The Associated Press, on the red carpet.
(Photo by: Richard Ren / LAPost)

“I never see AI as a threat — it’s a collaborator,” Lee said. “AI will push Culture Technology to the next stage. It won’t replace human creativity — it will amplify it.”

As applause filled the golden ballroom of the Biltmore, Lee’s message resonated: in an age of globalized capital and technology, the future belongs not to those with the most resources, but to those with vision. “We must become the blueprint of cultural leadership,” he concluded.

Lee Soo-man delivering his acceptance speech after receiving the award.
(Photo by: Richard Ren / LAPost)

From Seoul to Los Angeles, from music producer to cultural philosopher, Lee Soo-man’s journey has proven one belief true — culture is not just entertainment; it is the force that can reshape a nation’s destiny.

(By Richard Ren / LAPost)