SM Entertainment's current CEO Lee Sung Soo accuses Lee Soo Man of ruining aespa's comeback plans + envisioning a business empire with drugs and casinos

SM Entertainment's current CEO Lee Sung Soo has made several radical claims against SM Entertainment's founder and former head producer, Lee Soo Man. Lee Sung Soo is also Lee Soo Man's nephew. 

On February 16, Lee Sung Soo claimed that Lee Soo Man ruined aespa's comeback. Originally, the girl group was set to release a new album on February 20, ahead of their first solo concert in Seoul from February 25-26. However, during the album production process, Lee Soo Man ordered Yoo Young Jin and aespa's A&R team to change the lyrics of the group's comeback song to include references to "tree planting" and "sustainability". Despite the fact that these themes did not fit in with aespa's metaverse storyline, Yoo Young Jin and the A&R team attempted to include lyrics such as "just sustainability" and "decrease by just 1%". However, CEO Lee Sung Soo ultimately made the decision to cancel aespa's comeback, as the group's new song was "ruined". The aespa members even shed tears after hearing that their new song would be scrapped.

Furthermore, Lee Sung Soo claimed that Lee Soo Man, who has been envisioning the construction of a 'SMart Music City' featuring music festivals, open auditions, creative collaboration, a drone port, and more, was in fact only fueling his own greed and ambitions. Lee Sung Soo accused Lee Soo Man of attempting numerous overseas real estate dealings even when he was denied purchase of land in certain countries, and also alleged that Lee Soo Man planned on installing casinos at his 'Music Cities', despite the fact that these 'Music Cities' would mostly attract tourists and consumers in the teens and twenties. Furthermore, Lee Sung Soo stated that Lee Soo Man was an advocate of "legalizing marijuana", which would "allow people to enjoy music and entertainment even more". 

Lee Sung Soo ended by accusing, "Lee Soo Man wanted to use the company that he created, and the artists who belong to that company, so that he could promote his 'Lee Soo Man City', which he hoped to raise all over the world."