K-pop industry giant meets French president, builds cultural bridges between two countries

Lee Soo-man, producer and founder of A2O Entertainment, meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 20. [A20 ENTERTAINMENT]

 
SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, who recently established new entertainment company A2O Entertainment, met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l'Élysée on June 20, marking a significant moment for international cultural diplomacy and creative rights advocacy.
 
According to A2O Entertainment on Sunday, Macron personally welcomed Lee, referring to him as the “founding father of K-pop” and acknowledging his stature as a pioneering entrepreneur, creator and producer. A20 Entertainment said that Macron proposed Lee to establish a permanent office in France to foster deeper collaboration between Korean and French creators. The French president also instructed its Culture Minister Rachida Dati to pursue the idea concretely.
 

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“This was far from a ceremonial greeting,” A2O said in a statement. “It could represent a symbolic turning point in creator rights protection and a new model of Korea-France cultural collaboration.”
 
On the same day, Lee attended the France Music Week at Place de l’Opéra in Paris. Participants included Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, Lyor Cohen, YouTube Global Head of Music, and Olivier Nusse, CEO of Universal Music France.  
 

Lee Soo-man, producer and founder of A2O Entertainment, meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 20. [A20 ENTERTAINMENT]

 
During Lee’s keynote speech, he talked about how generative AI is reshaping the creative landscape, calling for robust protections of creators' rights.  
 
“We must imagine a world where fans evolve from mere consumers to prosumers — actively participating in the creation, reinterpretation and even monetization of content,” he said. “In the future, anyone can become a producer. That means we must protect the rights not only of original creators but also of re-creators and prosumers.”


Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HWANG JEE-YOUNG [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]