USA's 'Variety' magazine announces their 'Variety 500' each year, and Lee Soo Man was chosen as one of the 500 of the 'Overseas Overseers'. Part of the blurb reads, "Lee is known to have been inspired by MTV performances that are both musically and visually strong and had a vision for the Korean pop music industry. In 1996, Lee launched Korea's first idol boyband H.O.T., which popularized upbeat dance music with stylish visual concept. The group's popularity quickly went all over Asia and even created the term Korean Wave, which was initially used to describe Chinese fans' craze for them."

Congratulations to Lee Soo Man.