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Do you know that ex-SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man and SNSD's Sunny are related?
Ex-SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man and SNSD’s Sunny are actually related to each other. Read on to find out more.
Lee Soo Man, the founder of SM Entertainment, record producer, and businessman, shares a familial relationship with one of the K-pop idols who debuted with his own company. It is none other than Sunny, one of the members of Girls’ Generation, or SNSD. However, although they share the same bloodline, their relationship might come as a surprise to many. Let’s delve more into the intricacies of the two and how they are related.
How is Lee Soo Man related to SNSD's Sunny?
After Sunny made her debut in Girls’ Generation, sources revealed that she is actually related to the founder, Lee Soo Man. She is the founder’s niece, which means that Lee Soo Man and Sunny’s fathers are brothers. However, they both do not share a close relationship with each other due to various factors. Firstly, she moved with her family to Kuwait while she was still an infant. However, she returned to South Korea along with her family after some time during the Gulf War.
Being a musician runs in Sunny’s family, and Lee Soo Man is the biggest example. However, the main influence was her father, who was in a band during his college days. When the news about her family relationship with Lee Soo Man surged, many assumed that she got a chance to debut because of her connection to the founder. However, she, in fact, auditioned for the company that gave her a chance to debut. 
When Sunny moved back to South Korea, she joined SM Entertainment as a trainee and stayed there for five years. However, she transferred to the Starworld agency soon after, where her father was a manager. She was set to debut with the group titled Sugar, which was formed under the company. However, the group was never established, and her plans to debut fell apart. Later, in 2007, she joined SM Entertainment again and made her official debut with the group Girls’ Generation, one of the most iconic groups in the history of K-pop.
During Girls’ Generations appearance in the variety show Knowing Bros for the 345th episode, Sunny was asked a question about Lee Soo Man, which helped the fans know more about their relationship. The founder’s name came up during the show, and Sunny revealed that she always referred to him as ‘Teacher’ even if he was her biological uncle. This shocked the hosts because families usually refer to each other based on the relationship that they share. When asked for the reason, she revealed that they both had very little interaction during her childhood, so she never referred to him as ‘Uncle’.
Moreover, in 2015, she mentioned Lee Soo Man during the broadcast of her radio show, Sunny’s FM Date. While she was playing songs on the show, she revealed that she received a message from Lee Soo Man where he was asking why she was not playing songs from SM Entertainment. It can be noticed that the two shared a close relationship with each other. To satisfy her uncle, she played her group's song, Into the New World, and thanked him for tuning into her show.
Lee Soo Man resigned from his position at SM Entertainment in 2023 following a shareholder feud with the company officials and Kakao. It was a shocking day in the K-pop industry, as he was the representative face of SM Entertainment. However, he established a new company called Blooming Grace. Following his departure, SNSD’s Sunny also ultimately parted ways with the company. In 2023, she chose not to renew her contract with the company.
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