Lee Tops List of Stock Riches in Entertainment

By Yoon Ja-young
Staff Reporter

SM Entertainment CEO Lee Soo-man, which represents idol groups such as Girls' Generation and Super Junior, is the entertainment scene's biggest investor.

Actor Bae Yong-joon and singer Rain also own a significant amount of stocks.

According to Chaebul.com, a business circle information provider, a total of 10 entertainment figures hold stocks worth 100 million won or more.

Lee, who founded SM Entertainment, holds 26.2 billion won in stocks.

Lee, who holds 28.2 percent stake in the firm, saw his wealth snowball as its shares rose by 21.5 percent this year.

Lee, a former singer, started the entertainment agency business in 1989, and has produced major performers like H.O.T, S.E.S, TVXQ and BoA.

Superstar Bae Yong-joon, better known as Yonsama to Japanese fans, was the second richest in stocks.

He holds a 34.6 percent stake in Key East, which is listed on the junior Kosdaq market. His stake is evaluated at 10.9 billion won despite a 9.9 percent fall in stock prices this year.

Singer Yang Soo-kyung, who is married to former Yedang Entertainment CEO Byun Doo-seob, ranked as the third biggest investor among entertainers.

She holds 5.62 percent stake in Yedang. Her stake is valued at 3.1 billion won.

International star Rain followed with his stake in entertainment agency J. Tune Entertainment. Rain is the largest shareholder of the firm, with his stake estimated at 2 billion won.

Actress Kyun Mi-ri, emcee Shin Dong-yub and BoA were also among the stock-heavy entertainers. BoA holds 590 million won worth of stocks of SM Entertainment, who she is represented by.

Emcee Kang Ho-dong, singer Tae Jin-ah and singer Yoon Jong-shin were among the richest entertainers in terms of stocks.

chizpizza@koreatimes.co.kr
Source: The Korea Times 03-19-2010