SM founder calls on K-pop stars to plant trees

Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment, speaks during the 2023 World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) at Hotel Susung in the southeastern city of Daegu, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Dong Sun-hwa

World Cultural Industry Forum brings together cultural leaders

By Dong Sun-hwa

DAEGU ― K-pop stars and social media influencers should participate in tree-planting initiatives for the environment and encourage their fans to follow suit, says Lee Soo-man, the founder of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment.

Lee, the mastermind behind A-list stars like NCT and aespa, made the remark during the 2023 World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) at Hotel Susung in the southeastern city of Daegu, Thursday. The forum, which brought together renowned cultural figures from around the world, revolved around the theme "Creator Economy & Sustainability."

“I want to believe that K-pop has broken into the global mainstream and that it has begun to have big clout,” Lee said. “K-pop fans are everywhere in the world. So I desperately hope our singers exert their influence and spearhead the movement to save our earth. Tree-planting is also a good way to repay the infinite love they have received from their fans. It will also be great if their followers join the initiative to rescue humanity.”

Lee jokingly added that he even considered carrying a tree on his back to promote this project.

“During my recent visit to China, someone took pictures of me at the airport and shared them on Chinese social media platform Weibo,” he said. “Surprisingly, my name ranked fifth on its real-time search chart. Although I am the person behind the production of (many) well-known singers, I didn't realize that I could attract that much attention. So I thought I would carry a tree on my back next time instead of keep telling people to plant it.”

SM Entertainment Founder Lee Soo-man, second from right, and other participants during the 2023 World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) at Hotel Susung in the southeastern city of Daegu, Thursday / Korea Times photo by Dong Sun-hwa

This is not the first time that Lee has stressed the significance of planting trees. Prior to terminating his contract as a chief producer with SM ― which eventually led to a management dispute involving K-pop juggernaut BTS' record label HYBE and tech behemoth Kakao ―,

he appeared as a keynote speaker at SM's Sustainability Forum, Jan. 1

. The 70-year-old said planting trees will be his company's first step to tackle the climate crisis.

During Thursday's forum, Lee again underlined that trees play a vital role in reducing carbon footprints.

“Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, store it and release oxygen (through photosynthesis,)” he explained. “It is also known that a giant tree can provide a day's supply of oxygen for four people. Planting trees is not just about carbon neutrality. It is about extending human life. The carbon dioxide problem is now a matter of survival and if everyone shares the same dream of saving our planet, we can usher in a new future.”

Choe Jae-chun, a distinguished professor of eco-science at Ewha Womans University, echoed this sentiment.

“In the past, it took us 10-15 years to develop a vaccine,” he said. “But in the case of COVID-19, we managed to accomplish that in less than a year. Nevertheless, we will face future pandemics, and vaccines alone cannot be the ultimate solution. What we need are 'behavioral vaccines' and 'ecological vaccines.'”

According to Choe, the former refers to people's infectious disease-preventative behaviors, such as washing hands and wearing masks. The latter pertains to preserving the environment, so that viruses and bacteria cannot be transmitted to humans from nature.

“We learned from our own experience that herd immunity can be achieved when 70-80 percent of people in our community are vaccinated,” he continued. “If 70-80 percent of the world population take part in the movement to save our nature, everything will be resolved. If K-pop fans join forces, I believe they can start a powerful social movement.”

Ethologist Jane Goodall speaks via video call during the 2023 World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) at Hotel Susung in the southeastern city of Daegu, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Dong Sun-hwa

Ethologist and chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall and Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also showed their support for SM's founder in their video messages.

“Let's support Lee Soo-man and make the world a better place for all living things,” Goodall said.

Ban said, “Our cultural industry needs to take humanity and our planet's future into consideration and seek more eco-friendly and sustainable ways (of development) for future generations.”

Lee Jang-woo, a professor emeritus of business administration at Kyungpook National University, speaks during the 2023 World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) at Hotel Susung in the southeastern city of Daegu, Wednesday. Courtesy of WCIF

Launched by Lee Jang-woo, a professor emeritus of business administration at Kyungpook National University, the WCIF was attended by ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Hae-yong, Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) President Jung Kil-hwa, Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies President Lee Tai-sik, among others. Two sociology professors at Pennsylvania State University ― Sam Richards and Laurie Mulvey ― joined the event via video call.

On Wednesday, five social media influencers from South East Asia ― Raffi Ahmad (Indonesia,) Nagita Slavina (Indonesia,) Meichan (Vietnam,) Benjamin Kheng (Singapore) and Kring Kim (Philippines) ― shared their experience as content creators and revealed how popular hallyu is in their countries. Nichkhun, a Thai member of the K-pop boy group 2PM was the moderator of their discussion.

Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto speaks during the 2023 World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) at Hotel Susung in the southeastern city of Daegu, Wednesday. Courtesy of WCIF

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia, the Indonesian ambassador also invited people to a special event titled, "Indonesia Night" and presented various cultural gems of his country including music and dance performances. XODIAC, the first K-pop boy group with an Indonesian member, performed its song, “Special Love” (2023) as well.

“Since 1973, Indonesia and Korea have had a close and robust friendship,” Sulistiyanto said. “The next five decades of relationship will flourish and benefit people of the two countries.”