SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment

K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man, founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, is throwing his hat back in the ring.

A2O Entertainment, Lee's newest agency, recently unveiled a one-minute promotional clip on its official YouTube channel, showcasing 15 trainees organized into three distinct groups by age and gender.

A2O Entertainment positions itself as a collaborative global artist development platform where trainees are taught in these groups.

“Throughout their training, the rookies will showcase captivating performances on the A2O Channel, either as solo acts or as units. Please join us in supporting these rookies as they develop and debut as artists,” the agency said.

The agency also introduced a new genre called “Zalpha-Pop,” targeting the Zalpha generation — a blend of Generation Z, born in the mid-1990s, and Generation Alpha, born in the 2010s.

The new agency marks Lee's first foray back into the music scene as a producer in over a year and seven months, following a management dispute at SM Entertainment.

After selling most of his SM shares to Hybe in February last year, Lee established his new company, Blooming Grace, which focuses on environmental, social and governance contribution projects and cultural technology development.

Blooming Grace filed a trademark application for A2O Entertainment in May.

With the launch of the new company, speculation is rising about whether Hybe has exempted Lee from a clause that restricts him from participating in any domestic entertainment business for three years. The condition was included in the contract when Hybe acquired Lee's 14.8 percent stake in SM.

Lee reportedly asked Hybe to remove this clause, but the request was denied and the specifics were not confirmed.

If the clause remains in effect, Lee must operate A2O Entertainment outside of Korea.

In fact, a significant number of the agency’s trainees are Chinese.

Lee is widely recognized for having established the K-pop training system and for producing talented artists, having launched successful K-pop groups such as NCT and aespa.