Lee Soo-man

1952–1980: Early years and singing career

Lee was born in Jeonju, South Korea, on 18 June 1952, and attended Seoul National University on and off between 1971 and 1979. Lee debuted as a member of the band April and May (사월과 오월, alternatively 4월과 5월) in 1972 (he had joined the band in 1971), but he later departed from it for health reasons. He gained spotlight for his "good boy" image, supported by the fact that he was one of the few people who were not involved in the weed scandal among Korean celebrities in 1975, and his high academic credentials in Seoul National University. He became known for hit songs such as "행복 (Happiness)", released in 1978, and "한송이 꿈 (A Piece of Dream)" released in 1976. In 1977, he was a member of the Korean indie band Sand Pebbles. In addition to his career as a musician and his studies in university, he worked as a radio DJ and TV host during this time.

Lee Soo-man was also known for his trio with singers Lee Moon-sae and Yoo Yeol called Masamtrio (馬三트리오), named as such because of their appearances that resemble that of a long face of a horse.

In 1980, he formed the band 이수만과 365일 (Lee Soo-man and The 365 Days). However, media censorship policies under the Chun Doo-hwan government discouraged him from a career in the Korean music industry.

Lee's wife, Kim Eun-jin, died from cancer on 30 September 2014.

Lee is the paternal uncle of Sunny, one of the members of the popular SM group Girls' Generation.

In 2014, Lee donated ₩500 million to the Korean Red Cross to help the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. He directed the Asia performance of Global Citizen's charity concert, Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream. On 8 March 2022, he donated ₩500 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help those affected by the massive wildfires that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk. and also spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.

Embezzlement case and conviction

In 2002, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea found evidence of Lee earning tens of billions of won worth of illegal market profits in August 1999 by acquiring 1.1 billion won worth of stocks when listing stocks of SM Entertainment at KOSDAQ by a paid-in capital increase. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea also investigated Lee regarding circumstantial evidence of lobbying to producers in broadcasting stations and keeping a tremendous amount of cash in his personal office and vaults.

Lee tried to escape prosecution by staying overseas from June 2002, and was found in a golf course in Los Angeles on 2 August in the same year. While on the run, Lee's passport was nullified and Lee was chased by Interpol. Lee eventually came back to Korea to be investigated on 22 May 2003. A pre-arrest warrant was issued on 7 October, and Lee was arrested on 8 October. On 14 October, Lee was approved of bail after paying 30 million won. On 19 October, Lee was prosecuted without detention.

In September 2004, the Supreme Court of Korea sentenced Lee to two years of imprisonment along with three years of probation. Lee was released in a special exemption in 2007 commemorating the fourth year of Roh Moo-hyun's presidency.