SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man irked netizens on Tuesday, Dec. 22, after he allegedly claimed that he is one of the primary factors behind BTS's success.
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A screenshot that showed the SM Entertainment founder is saying there would be no BTS without him has been making rounds online lately. Avid followers of Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, V, RM, Suga, and J-Hope was, then, quick to react to the post. Some ARMYs lambasted Lee Soo Man for making such a claim.
One netizen stated that the entertainment mogul should instead focus on producing the first full album of NCT than tagging himself to the popularity of the world-renowned septet. Another Twitter user shared that Lee So Man should never claim that he is behind the success of BTS because all he did, from the very start, was spark baseless rumors and cause troubles for the group.
Another one shared he could not understand why Lee Soo Man can take credit for all the hard work BTS has put into work since they started without his help, adding that he should focus on building up the groups under his label. Another Twitter user suggested that Lee Soo Man has been obsessed with the group from the very beginning, adding that the SME producer just admitted that BTS is so much bigger than any of the groups that he and his agency are managing.
Meanwhile, a growing number of internet users clarified that Lee Soo Man never took credit for BTS's success. One Twitter user posted a screenshot of an article showing that the author was actually the one who stated that BTS is nothing without the entertainment mogul.
Another one mentioned that several people judge easily without even lifting a finger to check if the rumors are true.
Then, one online user said she wants to "slap" the author for writing the piece and for creating such commotion. One netizen shared that ARMYs should not put all the blame on Lee Soo Man as he, clearly, has no involvement with the wrong translation of some fans.
The accusations about Lee Soo Man taking credit for BTS's success came just days after he stated that BoA's contribution in the K-Pop industry is "pathfinding." The SM Entertainment founder shared that BoA is the very first artist to break the language barrier in Japan with the release of her "Listen to My Heart" album.
Lee Soo Man, also, stated that the efforts of BoA and other K-Pop acts like Girls' Generation have totally helped in breaking cultural barriers around the globe. He, then, said that the success that other young artists are enjoying right now is a subsequent result of their hard work.
Most, if not all, fans are aware that an official of SM Entertainment tried to recruit BTS member Jin during his middle school. However, the "Dynamite" singer ended up rejecting the offer since he thought it was a scam. In the end, Jin signed up with Big Hit Entertainment and was included in the BTS lineup.
