Accelerating ESG Project After SM Split
Celebrity to Emphasize Role in 'Social Contribution'
The recent whereabouts of Lee Soo-man, the former Chief Producer of SM Entertainment (SM) who left the company last March, have been revealed. He is reported to be participating in an environmental charity event in the United States.
According to the music industry on the 25th, Lee will attend a tree-planting event held on the 28th (local time) at Seoul International Park in Los Angeles, USA.
The event focuses on planting and maintaining 1,000 street trees annually in the Los Angeles area. This event also marks the starting point of the project. Lee is scheduled to personally plant street trees together with the local Korean-American nonprofit organization 'KYCC.'
In particular, he plans to cover part of the project's costs out of his own pocket. Using a matching fund method, he will donate an amount equal to the funds raised quarterly. The amount Lee will contribute is up to $500,000 (approximately 668.25 million KRW). The total fund is expected to reach $1 million (approximately 1.3365 billion KRW).
Lee will hold a press conference at the event on the 28th. At the podium, he is expected to emphasize that K-pop stars should contribute to carbon-neutral activities that help prevent global warming and return the love they receive from fans back to society.
Meanwhile, Lee sold most of his SM shares to the entertainment agency 'HYBE' in February of this year. Since then, he has established a personal company called 'Blooming Grace' and is focusing his activities around it.
Blooming Grace emphasizes ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) projects mediated through culture, as well as 'cultural technology' businesses that Lee highlighted during his tenure controlling SM's management rights.
The Los Angeles tree-planting project is also part of Blooming Grace's ESG social contribution activities. It is reported that Lee has shown considerable interest in achieving carbon neutrality since his time at SM.
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