Lee Soo Man documentary slammed for using SHINee's Jonghyun's funeral footage: 'Exploiting his death to defend K-pop industry'

Time of India

30-04-2025

A new documentary on the founder of SM Entertainment, Lee Soo Man: The King of K-pop, is stirring controversy ahead of its release next month. While the film aims to chronicle Lee Soo Man's undeniable impact on the global rise of K-pop, its trailer has sparked criticism for including sensitive footage from the 2017 funeral of SHINee's Jonghyun.
Footage of Jonghyun's funeral used in Lee Soo Man: The King of K-pop
The trailer offers a glimpse into the documentary's structure, blending praise for Lee Soo Man's role in globalising K-pop with commentary on the more contentious aspects of his legacy. Featuring interviews with idols and long-time associates of SM Entertainment, the film appears to both honour Lee's achievements and respond to longstanding criticisms about the K-pop industry's demanding nature.
However, it suddenly took a grim turn when viewers noticed a clip of Jonghyun's funeral was included shortly before a talking head dismisses concerns about idol treatment as a 'so-called narrative from Western media called the 'dark side of K-pop.'' Jonghyun, who died by suicide in December 2017 after a difficult battle with depression, has become a symbol of the mental health struggles faced by many idols. The decision to use footage from his private funeral, a moment already invaded by paparazzi at the time, has been widely condemned by fans.
Only seconds later, the trailer cuts to archival footage of TVXQ discussing the brutal realities of their early contracts. The very same contracts that left them with barely any rest forced them to hop between Japan and Korea daily, and ultimately led them to pursue legal action just to escape the physical and emotional toll.
Fans slam Lee Soo Man and the makers of his documentary
Now, fans are criticising the documentary for weaponising the real-life trauma of K-pop idols to protect the industry's image, with particular outrage aimed at the inclusion of Jonghyun's funeral footage. The issue gained traction after a user highlighted these concerns in a post on the subreddit r/kpopthoughts, sparking criticism against Prime Video and the makers.
One user wrote, "I was annoyed when I saw the trailer on twitter, but the clip of the funeral had my heart dropping into my stomach. I wasn't even into kpop when Jonghyun passed, but even I know how fucked up it is to include that clip. To use it as shock value for your vanity project is so so so evil I can't find the words.
And the dark side of kpop? Slave-like contracts? Those are all things HE invented! So he can take credit for the success of kpop but not its pitfalls? Pitfalls HE introduced?? I'm sick! I hope Shawols and Cassies hold each other closely these next few weeks. It's going to be a shitshow."
Another wrote, "Holy cow. I hate this. How Jonghyun's legacy is constantly being used as some sort of 'gotcha' moment for the 'dark side of K-pop". Really manipulative for Lee sooman to do this. Jonghyun was a really, really..jeez, I see him as multifaceted and utterly emotional, but in a good way, he really put a lot of that into his work, and I am just so tired of that video of his funeral procession being used as like shock value stuff. Really disgusting. That original video was so exploitative, and this is just one of many things that constantly detracts from Jonghyun's legacy as a person and an artist."
"I'm utterly disgusted. Lee Sooman doesn't deserve a documentary in the first place. The artists are what made that company. I am praying that Jonghyun's family and SHINee members do not see. It's so fucking disgusting and as a shawol it is so hard to see people bring this up over and over again for the stupid dark side of kpop agenda.
I gasped out loud, seeing the footage. Nobody should have to see that. Please do not engage with the video, even to make comments on it (ie sharing on twitter, etc). I hope the film crew sees the pushback and prime removes the footage," a third user wrote.
"The definition of trash. Jonghyun was my bias so seeing this makes my blood boil. He's still being used in death. F*ck Lee Sooman & anyone involved in this so called documentary," one user wrote.
"Jonghyun was exploited enough by SM during his life, as is unfortunately routine for most Kpop idols, but now his death is exploited by the company founder as well. When I tell you I was aghast and horrified seeing that footage in the trailer, I mean it," one user wrote.
Check out more comments in the Reddit thread below:
Jonghyun's death
Jonghyun, SHINee's main vocalist, died by suicide on December 18, 2017, at age 27. In a final letter shared by his friend Nine9, he spoke about feeling overwhelmed by depression and emotional exhaustion, writing, 'The depression that slowly gnawed away at me has finally swallowed me whole.' His death brought attention to the intense pressure and mental health struggles many K-pop idols face behind the scenes.
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