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{{Contains Korean text}}
{{Contains Korean text}}


'''S.M. Entertainment''' ({{ko-hhrm|SM엔터테인먼트}} which stands for '''S'''tar '''M'''useum) is an independent Korean [[record label]], [[talent agency]], producer, and publisher of [[pop music]], founded by [[Lee Soo-man]] in [[South Korea]]. Its current CEO is Kim Young-min.
'''S.M. Entertainment''' ({{ko-hhrm|SM엔터테인먼트}} which stands for '''S'''tar '''M'''useum) is an independent Korean [[record label]], [[talent agency]], producer, and publisher of [[pop music]], founded by [[Lee Soo-man]] in [[South Korea]]. Its current CEO is Kim Young-min. SM Entertainment is the worst ever!!! all they want to do is earn money that's it!!! the don't care about there artist at all!!!!.
Once the home to the original [[Korean pop idol|Korean Idol groups]] like [[H.O.T.]], [[S.E.S. (group)|S.E.S.]], [[Fly to the Sky]] and [[Shinhwa]], it's now a home to its current roster of recording artists which includes [[Kangta]], [[BoA]], [[TVXQ]], [[TRAX (band)|TRAX]], [[The Grace (band)|The Grace]], [[Super Junior]], [[Super Junior M]], [[Zhang Liyin]], [[Girls' Generation]], [[J-Min]], [[SHINee]], [[f(x) (band)|f(x)]], [[Exo (band)|EXO]], [[Henry Lau|Henry]] and [[Red Velvet (band)|Red Velvet]], which all of whom enjoyed success in both domestically and internationally. It is also home to actors like [[Ara Go|Go Ara]], [[Kim Min-jong]], [[Kim Ha-neul]], [[Lee Yeon-hee]] and [[Kim Ian]] among many other. SM Entertainment also co-publishes [[Avex Trax]] releases for Japanese artists such as [[Ayumi Hamasaki]], [[Namie Amuro]], and [[Koda Kumi]], as well as [[Johnny's Entertainment]] acts like [[Arashi]] and [[KAT-TUN]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smtown.com/link/jpop|title=SMTOWN J-POP ZONE|publisher=S.M. Entertainment}}</ref>
Once the home to the original [[Korean pop idol|Korean Idol groups]] like [[H.O.T.]], [[S.E.S. (group)|S.E.S.]], [[Fly to the Sky]] and [[Shinhwa]], it's now a home to its current roster of recording artists which includes [[Kangta]], [[BoA]], [[TVXQ]], [[TRAX (band)|TRAX]], [[The Grace (band)|The Grace]], [[Super Junior]], [[Super Junior M]], [[Zhang Liyin]], [[Girls' Generation]], [[J-Min]], [[SHINee]], [[f(x) (band)|f(x)]], [[Exo (band)|EXO]], [[Henry Lau|Henry]] and [[Red Velvet (band)|Red Velvet]], which all of whom enjoyed success in both domestically and internationally. It is also home to actors like [[Ara Go|Go Ara]], [[Kim Min-jong]], [[Kim Ha-neul]], [[Lee Yeon-hee]] and [[Kim Ian]] among many other. SM Entertainment also co-publishes [[Avex Trax]] releases for Japanese artists such as [[Ayumi Hamasaki]], [[Namie Amuro]], and [[Koda Kumi]], as well as [[Johnny's Entertainment]] acts like [[Arashi]] and [[KAT-TUN]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smtown.com/link/jpop|title=SMTOWN J-POP ZONE|publisher=S.M. Entertainment}}</ref>


Revision as of 00:56, 8 October 2014

Not to be confused with Sony Music Entertainment.
S.M. Entertainment
Native name
[에스엠 엔터테인먼트
SM 엔터테인먼트] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized language tag: korean (help)
Company typePublic
KRX: 041510
KRX 100 Component
IndustryMusic
Entertainment
Travel
GenreTrot
Pop
Dance
Electropop
R&B
K-pop
FoundedFebruary 1995
FounderLee Soo Man
Headquarters
Seoul
,
South Korea
Number of locations
Cheongdam-dong, Apgujeong-dong
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Lee Soo-man (founding chairman)
ProductsAlbums
concerts
ServicesPublishing records,
Entertainment agency
RevenueUS$-61,788,496 (2009)[1]
US$86,400,963 (2010)[1]
US$99,437,600 (2011)[2]
US$212,401,103 (2012) [3]
Increase US$51 million (2012) [4]
Increase US$63 million (2012)
OwnerLee Soo-Man
(21.27%, 2014)
National Pension Service
(11.05%, 2014)
Number of employees
1,667 (as of March 2013)
SubsidiariesSM TinTin Hall (2000)
SM Entertainment Japan (2001)
SM Academy (2003)
SM Pictures (2007)
SM Amusement
SM F&B Development
SM Entertainment USA (2008)
SM Town Travel (2012)
SM Culture and Contents (2012, since 2013 including Woollim Entertainment) [5]
SM Beijing [6]
WebsiteOfficial Website

Template:Contains Korean text

S.M. Entertainment (Korean: SM엔터테인먼트 which stands for Star Museum) is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea. Its current CEO is Kim Young-min. SM Entertainment is the worst ever!!! all they want to do is earn money that's it!!! the don't care about there artist at all!!!!. Once the home to the original Korean Idol groups like H.O.T., S.E.S., Fly to the Sky and Shinhwa, it's now a home to its current roster of recording artists which includes Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, TRAX, The Grace, Super Junior, Super Junior M, Zhang Liyin, Girls' Generation, J-Min, SHINee, f(x), EXO, Henry and Red Velvet, which all of whom enjoyed success in both domestically and internationally. It is also home to actors like Go Ara, Kim Min-jong, Kim Ha-neul, Lee Yeon-hee and Kim Ian among many other. SM Entertainment also co-publishes Avex Trax releases for Japanese artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, and Koda Kumi, as well as Johnny's Entertainment acts like Arashi and KAT-TUN.[7]

In 2012, the company's market capitalization rose to ₩1.38 trillion (US$1.24 billion).[8]

History

1990s: First generation groups

After graduating from Seoul National University and pursuing his own career as a singer, Lee Soo Man surveyed teenage girls on what they wanted to see in music groups and started the boy group H.O.T. (which includes current SM artist Kangta) and girl group S.E.S.. Both groups became successful during the late 1990s. Soon thereafter, Soo Man created Shinhwa, and once again, the band attained the same popularity and success, continuing Soo Man's streak of producing successful artists. In 1999, Soo Man created Korea's first R&B duo, Fly to the Sky, with members Hwanhee and Brian, adding to Soo Man's list of successful groups.[citation needed]

In February 1995, SM Entertainment set up its capital fund at ₩50,000,000. In January 1996, SM Entertainment purchased land for a recording site and manufactured its contents for broadcasting companies like KBS, SBS, HBS, KMTV, M-NET. In April 1997, the head office was transferred to the Yadang-ri, Gyoha-myeon, Paju, Gyeonggi-do. In October 1998, Kim Kyoung-wook was awarded the position of CEO. In August 1999, a paid-in capital increase of ₩25,000,000 (5,000 shares) and free issue of 225,000 shares (₩112,500,000) occurred. In that same year, SM Entertainment built a branch office in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

However, problems began appearing in SM Entertainment following the breakup of H.O.T., and S.E.S., who disbanded a year after H.O.T., and a few years later in 2003, SM Entertainment saw the departure of Shinhwa, though the group did not breakup and moved to a new management company. In the following years, some of its newer ventures, such as Isak N Jiyeon and Black Beat, failed to attain the popularity achieved by earlier SM artists.[citation needed]

2000s: Second generation and expansion

In early 2000, SM Entertainment agreed to share the split from 5,000 won to 500 per a share. In mid-2000, the company was approved and listed in KOSDAQ as 041510. Late that year, SM Entertainment and Avex Trax signed a contract for music licensing and an Asia agency. In December 2000, SM established an affiliation with Fandago Korea. In January 2001, SM Entertainment established an overseas joint-venture corporation as SM Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd. They are also preparing to establish a new headquarters in Beijing, China.[9] In March of the same year, Kim Kyoung-wook was appointed the company's third CEO. In May of the same year, SM Entertainment spent ₩10 billion to organize its first joint-venture investment fund in the music industry. SM also established subsidiaries BM Entertainment and Cid.K Entertainment for girl groups M.I.L.K. and Shinvi, respectively, but now defunct upon the groups' disbandment.

In April 2002, an additional 1,341,180 shares was added, and in June 2002, the third-party paid-in capital increased another 61,048 shares. In late-2002, SM Entertainment was awarded the Grand Prix of Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the Culture Contents for Export Award in music. In 2003, it established its affiliation with the Starlight Corporation Ltd and was awarded a prize for the best music contents in Korea. In February 2004, the third-party paid-in capital increased another 271,428 shares. In April of the same year, the head office moved from Paju, Gyeonggi Province to Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. A month later, it established its affiliation with C-Cube Entertainment Corporation.

The agency later found new successes with many other acts. SM Entertainment debuted a solo singer BoA in 2000, a five-member (now a duo) boy group TVXQ in 2003, a four-member rock band TRAX in 2004, a four-member girl group The Grace and a twelwe-member (originally thirteen) boy group Super Junior in 2005, a solo singer of Chinese descent Zhang Liyin in 2006, a nine-member girl group Girls' Generation in 2007, another five-member boy group SHINee in 2008, five-member girl group f(x) in 2009, four-member ballad project group S.M. the Ballad in 2010, in 2012 boy group EXO, which is divided into EXO-K and EXO-M for Korean and Chinese (Mandarin) markets, respectively, and in 2014, a 4-member girl group Red Velvet .

In May 2005, the fourth CEO came on board, Hur Dah-shin. In May 2008 SM Art Company was formed and helmed by Pyo In-bong as co-CEO. It aims to pursue businesses in musicals and theatre business. Its first production was Xanadu starring Super Junior members Heechul and Kangin.[10] In August 2010, Kim young-min took office.[11] Kim Young-min (born April 13, 1970) is a graduate of Korea University majoring in Sociology. In September 1999, Kim Young-min joined SM Entertainment as a team leader of overseas business, and during 2001 to 2005, he was the CEO of Fandango Korea.[12] On October 21, 2008, the company announced its plans to debut BoA in the United States under SM's new subsidiary label, SM Entertainment USA.

2010–2011: United Asia Management and joint ventures

In February 2010, founder Lee Soo-man resigned from his position as a member of the board of directors. An official at SM is quoted as saying that Lee had decided to do so in order to "focus more energy on SM's overseas business, new business management and artist development".[13]

In May 2010, SM announced its largest first quarter operating profit of 2010 at ₩10.4 billion, up 471% from the same period in 2009. Its gross revenue from sales from January to March was reported at ₩22.7 billion, up 58% from the year before.[14]

KMP Holdings: In March 2010, KMP Holdings was established via a joint venture between S.M., YG, JYP, Star Empire, and other companies like Medialine, CAN Entertainment and Music Factory. KMP is the official distributor of releases from these companies. KMP stands for Korean Music Power.[15] The firm's first distributed release from SM was Super Junior's fifth studio album, Mr. Simple and since this release, SM is not self-distributed any longer. However, KT Music eventually acquired KMP in November 2012, and in mid-June 2013, KT Music absorbed KMP's distribution network.[16] Henry's Trap was the last SM release to be distributed by KMP.

United Asia Management: SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, KeyEast, AMENT and Star J Entertainment will be joining forces to create a huge Asian management agency named ‘United Asia Management‘. This joint investment corporate body was created in an effort to develop an industry that will push ‘Hallyu’ to ‘Asianlyu’. United Asia Management aims to pioneer a global market, and all artists under the six agencies will be under a database system that manages intellectual property rights. A new contents production system will be utilized as well for movies, dramas, and other media. UAM will also be acting as the global agency for artists planning to advance, or currently promoting, overseas. UAM was officially established as of April 2011.

SM True: On August 16, 2011, SM has established their first international joint venture with Thai media company TrueVisions Group called "SM True." Artists Kangta and Shinee are present in the event, as well as SM's CEO, Kim Youngmin. Kim said that the joint venture will help "quickly and more effectively distribute [SM's] contents" and that this will create a "positive synergistic effect."[17]

2012: ENT, S.M.ART EXHIBITION and new contracts

File:SM Entertainment building 2012.JPG
SM Entertainment building in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul in 2012

In February 2012, SM launched new business initiative that specializes in travel and tourism. It acquired Hawaiian travel firm 'Happy Hawaii' and renamed it SM Town Travel. It is helmed by CEO Kang Jung Hyun and "aims to create synergies" between SM's entertainment product and travel.[18] One of its first products is to offer special concert packages for overseas fans to attend Super Junior's Super Show 4 Tour encore concerts in Seoul in May 2012.[19]

On 26 March 2012, 47 of their artists, including Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Zhang Li Yin, Girls' Generation, SHINee, f(x), Go Ara, Isak and Lee Yeon Hee, became stockholders of SM Entertainment. Becoming stockholder enabled them to participate in the company’s vision and growth. Kangta, BoA, and most of the Super Junior and Girls’ Generation members will be receiving 680 shares each (value of around $27,200 for each member), while SHINee and f(x) members will be receiving 340 shares each (value of around $13,600 for each member).[20]

Yoon In Wan, the creator of the popular comic, ‘The Blade of the Phantom Master‘, teamed up with S.M. Entertainment for a new webtoon series titled ‘ENT.’ The webtoon released an illustration featuring Girls' Generation in cartoon form. Following up, the illustrations of the members of SHINee have been unveiled.[21]

From 10 to 19 August SM Entertainment held an IT exhibition, the S.M.ART EXHIBITION at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center. SM’s premium contents showcased in state-of-the-art digital technology.[22]

SM signed contracts with VISA & KB Card. They will start printing SM artist Check cards (debit cards) in October.[23]

SM Entertainment has been cleared of the accusations regarding colluding with music distributors. On 16 August, the Seoul High Court revealed their verdict on the issue: “The FTC (Fair Trade Commission) has canceled all corrective orders against SM Entertainment, and the lawsuit costs will be paid by the defendant.” As a result, suspicions about SM Entertainment bargaining with music distributors have been found to be false.[24]

On 17 August, MC Kang Ho-dong and Shin Dong Yup announced that they have signed exclusive contracts with SM C&C in collaboration with SM Entertainment.[25] With the signing of the two MC's, this is seen as a move by SM to expand into television production outside of the management of singers and actors.[26] On September 19, SM C&C merged with AM Entertainment as part of its strategy to extend into drama and video contents production. AM Entertainment, who represent actors, such as Jang Dong-gun, Kim Ha-neul, Han Ji-min.[27] However Hyun Bin and Shin Min-ah were not included in the merge because both of their respective contract with AM had expired. They have yet to decide while the former is serving mandatory military service and the latter is still filming MBC drama Arang and the Magistrate.[28] On the same day it was announced that they have also signed exclusive contracts with comedians Lee Su-geun and Kim Byung-man of Laws of the Jungle and 1 Night 2 Days fame.[29]

According to Soompi.com, "SM Entertainment has set ambitious goals for 2013. The company has recently partnered up with two different media companies to expand further into the entertainment industry through print and broadcast.

The first partnership is with a contents specialized company Design House Inc. Design House Inc. is the company behind magazines such as “Happy Homes“, “Monthly Design“, “Men’s Health“, and “Luxury.” The two will join together to develop a new content business called “The Celebrity.” “The Celebrity” will target markets in Asia and around the world through mobile contents, on and offline magazines, and other publications. They have already set plans to publish a new futuristic Asian lifestyle magazine.

SM Entertainment’s broadcast sector, SM C&C (Culture and Contents), has acquired another company, Hoon Media. Hoon Media is led by Lee Hoon-hee and is the production company behind popular KBS shows such as 1 vs 100, Heroines 6, Qualifications of Men, and Music Bank. Hoon Media has also produced other entertainment programs on other cable channels.[30]

2013: Woollim Label and S Cube with Samsung Group

In August 2013, S.M. Entertainment's subsidiary S.M. Culture & Contents (S.M. C&C) and Woollim Entertainment merged. The result is "Woollim Label", which was formed as an independent label within S.M. C&C. The merger is part of S.M. Entertainment's plan to be a major music company.

S.M. stated, "S.M. Entertainment will run Woollim Label's global music distribution and additional businesses while S.M. C&C will take charge of the label's functions. In terms of business structure and scale, we will acquire international competitiveness and will stand as Asia's premier music group which can compete with global major music groups. We will take our place as the first global major music group in Korea."[5]

In September 10, 2013, SME and Samsung publicly signed their agreement through a public ceremony at Samsung's branch office in Seochodong, Seoul on the 10th. Lee Soo Man, Samsung Community Relations director Seo Jun Hee, TVXQ's Yunho, f(x)'s Sulli were also present for the event. The venture will be known as 'S Cube' which starts with the letter 'S', representing SM Entertainment, Samsung, and society, and expects a synergy effect from SME's cultural contents and Samsung's already established social service platform.

As part of the campaign, SME's artists, composers, and producers will take part in an educational program which teaches music and dance to impoverished children around the world. The program will also provide services for multi-cultural families and much more. Samsung will help in creating new job opportunities for multicultural families and also help them in visiting their home countries. SM Entertainment will also help in hiring them as interpreters and inviting their family members to concerts so they can enjoy it with their loved ones. Samsung's Seo Jun Hee also stated, "SME is the top company in various areas of cultural content. From the combination of Samsung's know-how and SME's content, we think that a new synergy effect will be created."

2014: Partnership with Baljunso and KT Music stock acquisition

Further information: Baljunso

On February 2014, S.M. Entertainment acquired shares in the independent record label Baljunso.[31]

Baljunso was founded in 1991 by Kang Byung-yong, former director of CAN Entertainment. Its artists include Kikaflo, Ezen, Shinchon Tigers, HLin, Wasted Johnny's, and Play the Siren.[31]

Due to concerns regarding Baljunso partnering with S.M. (which is a major label), Kang Byung-yong said in an interview dated February 26, 2014, "We will maintain the color of the indie scene and through the support, we will create an environment in which the indie musicians will be able to promote more actively.

We are aware of the concerns that some people may have... We will focus more on concerts rather than broadcasts. The color of the indie scene will not fade.

It is true that a substantial number of indie musicians are pursuing music under poor conditions... We will create a system which will make it easier for them to produce and promote their albums. We will create an environment in which the indie musicians will be able to focus on their music according to their effort."[32]

In January 2014, the seven talent agencies behind KMP Holdings (S.M. Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Star Empire Entertainment, Media Line, CAN Entertainment and Music Factory Entertainment) formed a collective bond partnership. They bought 13.48% of KT Music's stocks, leaving parent KT Corporation's share with only 49.99%.[33]

Controversies

Contractual dispute with JYJ (TVXQ)

In late July 2009, three of the TVXQ members; Kim Jaejoong (known as Hero), Park Yoochun (known as Micky) and Kim Junsu (known as Xiah), submitted an application to the Seoul Central District Court to determine the validity of their contract with SM Entertainment.[34][35] Through their lawyers, the members stated that the 13-year contract was excessively long and that the group's earnings were not fairly distributed to the members.[36] Early termination penalty of their contract will cost them 2 times the profit that the group is estimated to earn for the rest of the contract period (over ₩11 billion, or around US$9.2 million).[37] The news was enough to cause SM Entertainment's stock price to drop over 10% on the KOSPI.[38]

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favour of the three members. They have claimed that the contract was unfair and the members were left out of proper profit distribution.[39] In response, SM Entertainment called a press conference and claimed that the lawsuit was a fraud, stating that the lawsuit was not about unfair contracts or human rights but a scam motivated by the three members' greed over their cosmetics business. The three members remained silent except to say through their lawyers that they hoped SM Entertainment would respect the court's decision.[40]

In response to the lawsuit, 120,000 members of TVXQ's fan club, Cassiopeia, filed a petition against SM Entertainment's long-term contracts with the Seoul District Court.[41] Cassiopeia also filed for compensation from SM Entertainment for the canceled SM Town Live Concert, as both SM and TVXQ initially stated that the concert would go on as planned; the concert was canceled a week before its scheduled date.[42] It was later announced in early May 2010 that the three members of TVXQ (Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu) will return to the stage as a sub-group. Their group is called JYJ representing the first letter of each of their names.[43]

On February 17, 2011, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed SM Entertainment's injunction against JYJ, filed in April 2010 for damage compensation.[44] In September 2012, the final decision on the case was postponed indefinitely, by Seoul Central District Court for mediation under the justice department.[45]

On 28 November 2012, during a voluntary arbitration at the Seoul Central District Court, SM Entertainment and JYJ have reached a mutual agreement to terminate all contracts between the two parties and not to interfere with each other's activities in the future. Thus concluding the three years and four months exclusive contract lawsuit.[46] A SM official is quoted as saying, "We made a judgment that we don't have to manage the three members of JYJ any longer as they expressed their intention not to keep their activity as TVXQ" and further added that they have decided to end the litigation "to avoid bringing additional harm to U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin, who are active as TVXQ, and to avoid making any more unneeded issues".[47][48]

Contractual dispute with Han Geng

On December 21, 2009, five months after the three TVXQ members filed, Han Geng of Super Junior followed suit. The following day, December 22, 2009, Han Geng's lawyer released the reasons for the contract termination: it contained provisions in SM Entertainment's favor, the 13-year contract length was unlawful, it would take an unfair sum of money to end the contract, he was not allowed to request to revise his contract, he was forced to do things that were not in his contract, he was forced to do things against his will, he was fined if he disobeyed the company, missed any events or was late, and there was unfair profit distribution. Along with this, it was disclosed that because of SM Entertainment's refusal to give him a day off in over two years, he had developed gastritis and kidney disease.[49]

Han Geng's best friend and now current manager, Sun Le, also submitted a statement to the Korean courts citing SM Entertainment's violation of Han Geng's rights. This statement was later leaked to the public via the Internet. Though many suspected the statement to be fan-created, it was later confirmed as true.[50] Sun Le's statement contended that: Han Geng was forced to wear a mask due to SM Entertainment's ill handling of the visa issue, SM Entertainment purposely discriminated against Han Geng and his family, including financially, SM Entertainment refused to cooperate or listen to any of Han Geng's suggestions, SM Entertainment purposely turned down individual activities for Han Geng (including Ariel Lin's "Firefly" music video, which later starred two other Super Junior members) and SM Entertainment treated Han Geng's potential endorsers poorly.[51]

On September 27, 2011, Han Geng's departure from Super Junior was made official when legal representatives of both Han Geng and S.M. Entertainment eventually released a statement stating, "Han Geng and S.M. Entertainment have amicably settled on a mutual agreement, and the lawsuit was able to come to a close after Han Geng submitted his 'Notice of Withdrawal of Appeal'."[52][53]

Fair Trade Commission Revisions

SM Entertainment has released an official statement regarding the contract revisions demanded by the Fair Trade Commission. SME officials clarified on the 23rd, “The FTC only ordered us to revise the contract of one of our trainees by removing the three years added onto his contract. We complied, thus making every contract under our agency to date as ‘fair.’ BoA, TVXQ, The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, The Trax, and other celebrities under our agency have already been acknowledged as fair contracts by the FTC.”

They continued, “As leaders of the industry, we have been cooperating closely with the National Assembly and other related bureaucracies in order to protect the rights and interests of our celebrities, and to aid in the advancement of Korea’s entertainment industry and the Hallyu wave.” After numerous discussions with the FTC, SME drafted a new contract earlier this year with the changed terms mentioned in the previous article. All artists re-contracted with the agency under the new terms, which were acknowledged by the FTC to be fair. The representative continued, “We fully complied with the recent request by the FTC regarding our contract with a trainee. With the help of the FTC, we will be developing better contracts for the progression of Korean culture and contract customs.”

2009–2010 MNet Asian Music Awards boycott

SM Entertainment along with Inwoo Production boycotted the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards event on 21 November, hence none of their artists attended the event. SM stated that they have reservation regarding the standard of fairness and criteria used in their selections,[54] citing that Girls' Generation had topped a music chart for nine consecutive weeks but was never placed first place on their show and only debuted on their charts a month after the album was released. They also asked that their artists be removed from a mobile poll which requires participants to pay a fee in order to vote saying they "do not want to see fans suffer any damage from the poll which has commercial intentions".[55]

2011: S.M.'s role in the price rigging scheme

S.M. was one of the 15 companies fined and sued by the Korean FTC for price rigging in 2011.[56]

Contractual dispute with Kris Wu

In May 15, 2014, almost five years after Hangeng filed his case against SM Entertainment, Kris of EXO-M (or EXO) in general filed a lawsuit to terminate his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment.[57] It was first reported on Chinese news portal Sina,[58] with various reactions from fans. Korean news sites TV Daily,[59] Korea Herald,[60] eNews,[58][61] Nate,[62] TV Report,[63] and Daum[64][65] followed suit. The side supporting Kris has stated that the idol is not being respected as an artist in SM Entertainment and is rather being treated as an object, with no say in the deciding of schedules. According to Kris's side, SM never gave thought to his health or his opinions. The lawyer Cho Bum Suk of the law firm Hanbyul, the same lawyer who handled Hangeng's case nearly five years ago, will be representing Kris.[66]

There is also a chance that Kris is suing for medical reasons. According to Chinese media outlet Sina, Kris is reported to have visited a hospital in Guangzhou, China when he returned from the '12th Korean Musical Festival' in Los Angeles, California on May 2. The alleged report states that according to a medical professional, Kris has higher than average creatine kinase and isozyme levels, and is suspected of having myocarditis, although as of now he is required to go back for another examination as it is unknown whether he has a heart problem or not. A former SM Entertainment trainee, Song Byung Yang, also posted on Weibo, "As an old friend of [Kris], it wasn't easy seeing him struggle due to the severe mental stress and fatigue. Because his body couldn't handle it, he even developed heart problems."[67]

Red Velvet debut Music video

Shortly after the release of the music video for "Happiness", Japanese media reported that images referencing the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks were seen in the video. SM Entertainment responded to the reports, explaining, "After questioning the director, we found that he simply used a collage source for the images, and there was no intention behind it."

The representative added, "As SM wasn't able to catch it before, we will remove the material that caused the misunderstanding as soon as possible. We will make sure not to let this kind of thing happen in the future."[68]

Departure of Girls' Generation's Jessica

On September 30, 2014, S.M. Entertainment announced that Jessica of Girls' Generation has been officially been removed from the group, stating that she left to focus on solo activities and entrepreneurial endeavours.[69] However, Jessica had a completely different story to the matter, as she claims that she was forced out of the group through a Weibo update earlier that morning.[70] S.M. Entertainment confirmed Jessica's departure following the remaining Girls' Generation member's fan meet in Shenzhen, China.[71]

The following day Jessica released her first official statement since her departure and claimed that S.M. Entertainment and Girls' Generation were happy for her to launch her business in August. In early September, the remaining eight members changed their stance and told Jessica to either end her business or cease promotions as a member of Girls' Generation. On September 29, 2014, Jessica was given a one-sided notice asking her to leave Girls’ Generation, hence her absence from the groups fan meet the following day.[72] From September 29 to October 1, the company has lost a total of 69 billion Won (approximately 65 million USD) as stocks dropped by 3,350 won per share, from 40,750 to 37,400 won, following the announcement. [73]

SM Town

SM Town, which started in 1999, is the project name for SM Entertainment's summer and winter vacation albums. SMTown albums consist of current SM Entertainment artists. Each SMTown album consists of one SMTown song and a song from each artist or group.[74]

Recording artists

Groups

Debut Artist Gender Members Leader Status Fanclub Official Color
2003 TVXQ Male U-Know Yunho, Max Changmin U-Know Yunho Active Cassiopeia (Kr)
Bigeast (Jp) 		Pearl Red
2004 TRAX Male Jay, Jungmo Jay Inactive TRAXIAN Cobalt Blue
2005 The Grace Female Lina2, Dana3, Sunday4, Stephanie — Inactive Shapley Pearl Pink
Super Junior Male Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung5, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin
Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Kibum6
(Super Junior-M: Zhou Mi7, Henry8) 		Leeteuk Active E.L.F Sapphire Blue
2007 Girls' Generation Female Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon
Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, Seohyun 		Taeyeon Active S♥NE Pastel Rose
2008 SHINee Male Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, Taemin9 Onew Active SHINee WORLD Pearl Aqua
2009 f(x) Female Victoria, Amber, Luna, Sulli, Krystal Victoria Active — Periwinkle
2012 EXO Male EXO-K: Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun
EXO-M: Xiumin, Luhan, Kris12, Lay, Chen, Tao 		Suho Active EXO-L Silver
2014 Red Velvet Female Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy Irene Active — —
Beat Burger10 Male Gregory Hwang, Shim Jae-won, Joo Sung-min
Flash Finger, Goo Jong-pil, MQ[75] 		— Active — Black

Soloists

Debut Artist Gender Status Fanclub Official Color
2000 BoA Female Active Jumping BoA (Kr)
SOUL (Jp) 		Lemon Yellow
2001 Kangta1 Male Active Club K.I.T. White
2001 Dana3 Female Inactive Shapley Pearl Pink
2002 Chu Ga-yeoul Male — —
2004 Sunday4 Female Shapley Pearl Pink
2006 Zhang Liyin Active Chocolate Metal Light Gold
2007 Iconiq11 Inactive — —
J-Min Active — Green
2013 Henry8 Male Strings Sapphire Blue
2014 Taemin9 SHINee WORLD Pearl Aqua
Jessica13 Female Inactive S♥NE Pastel Rose
  • 1Kangta originally debuted as a member of H.O.T. in 1996. He released his first solo album after the group disbanded in 2001.
  • 2As Jiyeon, Lina originally debuted as the leader of the R&B duo Isak N Jiyeon in 2002. The duo disbanded in 2004 and Lina became a member of The Grace in 2005.
  • 3Dana originally debuted as a solo artist in 2001. She later became a member of The Grace in 2005.
  • 4Sunday originally debuted as a solo artist in 2004. She later became a member of The Grace in 2005.
  • 5Yesung has been inactive since May 6, 2013 for Military Service.
  • 6Though still credited as part of Super Junior, Kibum has been an inactive member since 2009.
  • 7Zhou Mi is only active as a member of Super Junior's sub-unit Super Junior-M, formed in 2008.
  • 8Henry originally debuted as a member of Super Junior's sub-unit Super Junior-M in 2008. He made his debut as a solo artist in 2013.
  • 9Taemin originally debuted as a member of SHINee in 2008. He made his debut as a solo artist in 2014.
  • 10Beat Burger was originally formed in 2009 as a choreography team for S.M. artists. In September 2014, the team released their first digital EP, Electric Dream.[76] Two members of Beat Burger, Gregory Hwang and Shim Jae-won, originally debuted as members of Black Beat in 2002.
  • 11Iconiq debuted in 2002 under Starworld Korea. She transferred to S.M. Entertainment in 2007.
  • 12Kris has been an inactive member since May 2014, after filing a lawsuit against S.M. Entertainment to nullify his contract.[77]
  • 13Jessica originally debuted as a member of Girls' Generation in 2007. In September 2014, Jessica announced her departure from the group.[78]

Sub-units/Project group

Fashion Designers

Actors/actresses

SM Rookies

SM Rookies are a pre-debut team which consists of current trainees under S.M. Entertainment.

  • Taeyong
  • Jeno
  • Lami
  • Jaehyun
  • Mark
  • Hansol
  • Ji-sung
  • Yuta
  • Johnny
  • Ten
  • Donghyuk
  • Jaemin
  • Taeil
  • Yongju
  • Jeesu
  • Hye-in
  • Koeun
  • Hina
  • Winny
  • Yeri
  • Herin

Studio artists

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