Lee Soo-man launches A2O groups with 4D technology in Korea

Lee Soo-man returned to South Korea's music industry on October 12, 2026, introducing A2O Soul and A2O Lite under A2O Entertainment at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The former SM Entertainment founder presented the two groups alongside 4D Gaussian Splatting technology designed to change how fans experience performances.

According to Korea JoongAng Daily and Korea Times, A2O Soul has 15 members and A2O Lite has nine members. The groups performed their debut songs, "Superstar" and "Neon," before their digital releases.

A2O Entertainment said both groups are connected through the fictional A2O Cosmic Epic universe based on the planet Soulite. The company also introduced multinational members from Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, the United States and Japan.

Lee Soo-man said 4D Gaussian Splatting expands recording possibilities beyond traditional cameras by reconstructing performances in three-dimensional space.

"Photography captured a single moment in a person's life, while video captured the passage of time and movement," said Lee Soo-man, founder of A2O Entertainment.

"Now, 4DGS takes that a step further, making it possible to return to the space and time in which something was recorded and view that moment from any position or angle," said Lee Soo-man, founder of A2O Entertainment.

The technology uses footage from multiple cameras to create new viewpoints after filming. Lee connected the project to earlier multi-camera experiments he developed during his SM Entertainment years with artists including Girls' Generation, SHINee, TVXQ and BoA.

"I think this could be the ultimate form of the camera as a recording device," said Lee Soo-man, founder of A2O Entertainment.

Lee also explained his culture technology approach, which focuses on creating new experiences by combining entertainment and technology. He introduced plans for AI-based fan communication features and further interactive content development.

"When a new technology appears, the question is how we connect it to culture, and what new content and new experiences we can create that could not exist before," said Lee Soo-man, founder of A2O Entertainment.

Lee founded SM Entertainment in 1995 and left the company after a management dispute in 2023. After establishing A2O Entertainment in 2024, he previously launched A2O May before returning with his first major Korean music project since his noncompete agreement ended.