SM Entertainment’s Chief Business Officer Lee Sang-hwa has been named to Billboard’s 2026 Touring Power Players list, recognizing her contribution to the growth and expansion of the global live music industry.
Billboard announced this year’s list on November 6, highlighting influential figures working across concert planning, promotion, artist management, venue operations, and ticketing.
Lee Sang-hwa’s recognition reflects the growing importance of K-pop executives behind the scenes as Korean artists continue to expand their presence across international stages.
As SM Entertainment’s CBO, Lee oversees the company’s global concert business, including tour strategies, production, marketing, and overall concert operations for its artists.
Her work has been closely connected to the overseas performance activities of several major SM Entertainment acts throughout 2026.
The company’s artists have continued to perform for audiences across Asia, North America, Latin America, and other international markets, contributing to SM’s expanding live entertainment business.
Lee Sang-hwa’s Role in SM Entertainment’s Global Concert Expansion
During the year, Lee oversaw domestic and international concert activities involving artists including Super Junior, SHINee, EXO, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, aespa, and RIIZE.
Her responsibilities extend beyond organizing individual concerts, with a focus on developing broader touring strategies that take into account different regional markets and audience demand.
One of the major examples of SM Entertainment’s global touring expansion has been aespa’s fourth world tour, “2026-27 aespa LIVE TOUR – SYNK : COMPLæXITY.”
The group launched the tour with a concert at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome before continuing its international schedule.
aespa performed in Taiwan in August and later traveled across Latin America, holding concerts in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Mexico City between September and October.
The group also performed in 10 North American cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.
The tour’s expansion into multiple new markets highlighted the growing international demand for aespa.
The group also appeared at Lollapalooza Chicago, further strengthening its presence within the global music festival circuit.
NCT 127 also continued its international concert activities through its fifth tour, “NEO CITY – THE REDLINE,” while Super Junior and EXO remained active on global stages.
Together, these activities demonstrated the scale of SM Entertainment’s artist lineup and its ability to operate large-scale live performances across different regions.
SM Entertainment Looks Toward an Even Bigger 2027
Lee Sang-hwa’s inclusion on Billboard’s list comes as SM Entertainment prepares for another busy year of international concerts.
The company has already outlined plans for several artists to continue connecting with global fans through overseas performances in 2027.
aespa is scheduled to continue its world tour across nine European cities between January and February next year.
NCT WISH is also expected to perform 21 shows in major Asian cities, including Seoul, while NCT 127 is preparing additional performances in Asia.
Other SM Entertainment artists, including Choi Kang-chang-min, Yesung, Minho, and WayV, are also expected to expand their international performance activities.
Speaking about the company’s approach to its global concert business, Lee Sang-hwa stated,
“SM strives to provide global fans with differentiated live experiences based on each artist’s musical identity and performance competitiveness.”
She further explained the company’s future direction, saying,
“Going forward, we will continue to expand the regions and scale of our global tours through concert strategies that consider regional market characteristics and fan demand, strengthening the competitiveness of our global concert business so that more fans can directly experience SM artists’ performances.”
Lee’s inclusion among Billboard’s 2026 Touring Power Players places her alongside influential figures from the international live entertainment industry.
The recognition also highlights the increasing global scale of K-pop touring and the extensive planning required to bring major Korean artists to audiences around the world.
