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SM Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture last month, the entertainment conglomerate said on Tuesday, to promote cultural cooperation.
MOU signing
The signing between Executive producer Lee Soo-man, SM CEO Lee Sung-soo, and Saudi Arabian Theater Arts Council CEO Sultan Albazie took place at the Ministry of Culture building in Diriyah.
The two parties will produce Saudi Pop, or S-Pop, hold auditions to discover and nurture talent, build a training system as well as plan to establish a studio for production.
“Through this collaboration, not only Saudi Arabia but also Korean culture will grow globally, and SM’s music and content will expand to the Middle East,” Lee said. “We will continue to expand strategic networking to achieve global growth of Korean and Saudi culture.”
Expansion in Saudi Arabia
SM Entertainment has been actively expanding in Saudi Arabia. In June, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Culture, met with Lee to enhance cooperation with Korean cultural authorities.
Two months later, Lee signed an MoU with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Investment to advance into the local market and promote joint projects.
In September, Princess Haifa Al Saud, Saudi’s Vice Minister of Tourism, also visited SM Entertainment. She also took part in a panel hosted by SUPER JUNIOR member Leeteuk at the World Knowledge Forum to discuss tourism and the cultural exchanges between Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia also hosted KCON for the first time this year. The event, which welcomed 20,000 offline attendees and attracted 8.2 million viewers across 213 regions, saw performers such as SUNMI, RAIN, ATEEZ, PENTAGON, and HYOLYN take the stage.