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KOSDAQ: 041510

SM Entertainment

SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.
📅 Founded 1995 📍 Seongdong-gu, Seoul 👤 Lee Soo-man 🏢 CEO: Tak Young-jun
1995
Founded
11
Active Groups
4
Solo Artists
7
Past Acts
2
Sub-Labels
1,200+
Employees
₩936B
Revenue (2023)
About SM Entertainment

SM Entertainment is one of South Korea's pioneering entertainment companies, founded in 1995 by producer and businessman Lee Soo-man. SM introduced the systematic idol training system that became the global K-pop template and coined the concept of 'SMTOWN'. The company has launched some of Korea's most iconic acts across three decades - from H.O.T and S.E.S. in the 1990s to EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, and aespa today. In 2023, Kakao acquired a significant stake in SM following a contentious shareholder battle, marking a major transition in leadership.

Label Structure

SM Entertainment operates through 2 labels.

SM Entertainment
aespa · EXO · Red Velvet · SHINee · Super Junior · NCT
Woollim Entertainment
INFINITE · Golden Child
Active Artists

11 groups currently active under SM Entertainment

aespa
Est. 2020 · 4 members
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NCT 127
Est. 2016 · 9 members
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NCT Dream
Est. 2016 · 7 members
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NCT U
Est. 2016
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Unit with rotating members
WayV
Est. 2019 · 7 members
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Chinese unit of NCT
EXO
Est. 2012 · 9 members
SM Entertainment Quizzes →
Red Velvet
Est. 2014 · 5 members
SM Entertainment Quizzes →
SHINee
Est. 2008 · 4 members
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Super Junior
Est. 2005 · 10 members
SM Entertainment Quizzes →
Girls' Generation
Est. 2007 · 8 members
SM Entertainment Quizzes →
INFINITE
Est. 2010 · 7 members
Woollim Entertainment Quizzes →
Solo Artists
Baekhyun Quizzes →
D.O. Quizzes →
KAI Quizzes →
Taemin Quizzes →
Company Timeline
1995
Founded as SM Studio by Lee Soo-man
1996
H.O.T. debut - the first K-pop idol group
1998
Shinhwa and S.E.S. debut; idol training system refined
2001
BoA debuts at 13; becomes first Korean act to break Japan market
2003
TVXQ debuts - biggest group of the 2nd-generation era
2005
Super Junior debuts with 13 members
2007
Girls' Generation (SNSD) debut
2008
SHINee debuts
2012
EXO debuts across two sub-units (EXO-K and EXO-M)
2016
NCT debuts with open-membership concept
2020
aespa debuts with AI avatar (ÆSPA) concept
2023
Kakao acquires 40%+ stake; founder Lee Soo-man ousted
Past & Disbanded Acts
H.O.T.
1996 → 2001
S.E.S.
1997 → 2002
Shinhwa
1998 → - · Independent since 2003
TVXQ
2003 → - · Active with 2 members
f(x)
2009 → 2019 · No official disbandment announced
Super M
2019 → 2022 · Super group unit
Lovelyz
2014 → 2022 · Via Woollim Entertainment
Key Facts
SM Entertainment is the oldest of the Big 4 entertainment agencies
Pioneered the systematic idol training system widely copied across the industry
SMTOWN concerts have sold out stadiums worldwide, including Madison Square Garden
EXO's debut month generated over 1 million pre-orders - unprecedented at the time
NCT's open-concept design theoretically allows unlimited members
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