Super Junior-M still draws screaming masses of girls. Photo: CFP

Chinese EXO fans called on South Korean entrepreneurial producer Lee Soo-man, chairman of Seoul-based SM Entertainment, to take good care of existing groups first after he revealed his ambition to hold a talent show in China to create pop stars. 

SM is the management company of many well-known groups and bands, including H.O.T, Super Junior, Girl’s Generation, f(x) and EXO.

Lee made the remarks in an interview with Chengdu TV. 

“Chengdu is a city with active cultural exchanges, a place where foreigners can fit in perfectly,” Lee said. 

Regarding his plans to hold a talent show in China, he said “it would not be a short-term program, but a show to create real pop stars in the long run.”

Chengdu is known as a city of music in China, with local singers often performing well on talent shows.   

Many skillful Chinese singers are from the city, including Li Yuchun, Zhang Jie and Zhang Liangying, who all started their careers from talent shows. 

Lee’s remarks triggered heated discussion on Chinese social media platforms. The related hashtag has been read nearly 60 million times as of Thursday night. 

Some fans called on Lee to take care of existing groups and idols first before coming to China to seek more talent. 

“Managing EXO well is enough, how much money do you want to earn?” one netizen said on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo. 

“Our band [EXO] are producing the most valuable albums in South Korea, showing the best performance for SM, but are treated the worst in the country,” another EXO fan said. 

“Can you produce solo albums for my idol first?” some other fans of SM groups and bands said. 

Some warned Lee that he will not necessarily benefit from holding talent shows in China amid the impact of technology on the industry.

Meanwhile, others welcomed Lee’s move, saying that South Korean companies’ experience in producing stars could help train young Chinese idols and promote industry transformation. 

“SM coming to China will accelerate the transformation of China’s entertainment industry,” said a Weibo user.   

Global Times