French President Macron Directly Invites Lee Soo-man: "Let's Open an Office in France"

[Financial News] Lee Soo-man, key producer and visionary leader of A2O Entertainment (founder of SM Entertainment, 73), met with President Emmanuel Macron and was proposed for collaboration.

A2O Entertainment announced on the 22nd, "Lee Soo-man met with President Macron at the Elysee Palace, the office of the French President, on the 20th (local time)."

According to A2O, producer Lee Soo-man was introduced as the 'creator of K-pop', and President Macron said, "I am well aware that Lee Soo-man is an outstanding entrepreneur, creator, and producer," and directly proposed the establishment of a local office in France.

President Macron instructed French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati to directly negotiate to explore the feasibility of implementation.

Lee Soo-man also reportedly responded, "Thank you." A2O Entertainment stated, "This is not just a ceremonial greeting," adding, "It holds great significance as it could be a symbolic starting point for the protection of creators' rights and a model of cooperation between Korea and France."

On this day, Lee Soo-man also attended as a speaker at the 'France Music Week Summit' held at Place de l'Opéra in Paris, France. This event gathers over 100 key figures leading the global music industry to discuss major challenges facing the music industry, with experts from around the world participating in various discussions and conferences.

The event was attended by Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube, and Olivier Nusse, CEO of Universal Music France. Lee Soo-man was the only speaker of Asian nationality.

Standing at the podium, Lee Soo-man emphasized, "In the future, anyone can become a producer," envisioning a world where fans become prosumers who directly create content beyond being mere consumers.

He continued, "Now, the rights of recreators and prosumers must also be protected, and the rights of original creators must be more strongly upheld."




moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter