Lee Soo-man, key producer and visionary leader of A2O Entertainment, met with French President Emmanuel Macron as the 'founder of K-POP.'
On the 20th (local time), Lee Soo-man attended the 'France Music Week Summit' held at Place de l’Opéra in Paris, France, as a speaker.
On that day, Lee Soo-man had a meeting with President Macron at the Elysee Palace. Lee Soo-man was introduced as 'the person who created K-POP,' and President Macron expressed his pleasure, noting that he is well aware of Lee Soo-man's status as an outstanding businessperson and creator.
President Macron directly proposed establishing a local office in France to Lee Soo-man and expressed his willingness to actively cooperate to strengthen collaboration between Korean and French creators. In response, Lee Soo-man also said, 'Thank you.' President Macron directed Minister Rachida Dati to hold discussions and explore the feasibility of specific implementations.
This is not just a simple ceremonial greeting between the two; it serves as an example that the highest levels of France are deeply aware of K-POP's global influence and Lee Soo-man's cultural vision. It holds significant meaning as it may symbolize the starting point for protecting creator rights and collaboration models between Korea and France.
The 'France Music Week Summit' attended by Lee Soo-man is an event that gathers over 100 key figures leading the global music industry, featuring various discussions and conferences among experts worldwide, focusing on major challenges facing the music industry. This event included core leaders representing the global music industry, such as Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, Lyor Cohen, head of YouTube's global music division, and Olivier Nusse, CEO of Universal France. Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron and Minister Rachida Dati participated, further lending authority to the event.
As the only speaker from an Asian nationality at the event, Lee Soo-man delivered a compelling speech befitting a pioneer in the K-POP genre. He engaged local musicians by explaining the culture technology (CT) system that has been the driving force behind K-POP's growth as a global phenomenon, as well as his special connection to Paris.
Each session featured panels analyzing the success of K-POP and sharing diverse stories. In particular, Lee Soo-man devoted significant time to discussing how to protect the rights of creators in the era of AI and generative AI.
Lee Soo-man emphasized, 'I envision a world where fans become prosumers who create content directly, going beyond being simple consumers. Fans should reinterpret and remake content, participate in the creative process, and even receive economic rewards.' He added, 'In the future, anyone can become a producer. We must now also protect the rights of recreators and prosumers, and the rights of original creators must be even more strongly defended.'
Meanwhile, Lee Soo-man, who has led the globalization of K-POP, is currently at the forefront of new trends in K-POP, which has evolved into a global music genre, as the key producer and visionary leader of A2O Entertainment.
[Photo] Provided by A2O Entertainment
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