Zhoumi Named CEO Of New SM Entertainment And Tencent Music Joint Venture

SUPER JUNIOR-M’s Zhoumi is stepping into an unexpected new role behind the scenes. SM Entertainment has appointed the singer as CEO of STE, a new joint venture established with Tencent Music Entertainment Group in Beijing, China.

SM announced the establishment of the joint venture on August 27, explaining that STE was created as part of the companies’ broader partnership following a memorandum of understanding signed in May 2025.

The company’s most ambitious objective is the development of a new Chinese idol group, with plans to debut the group within approximately two to three years.

STE will oversee the process from casting and auditions through local management after the group’s eventual debut. That means Zhoumi will be positioned at the centre of a project designed to build an entirely new idol act for the Chinese market.

The company will also manage the Chinese activities of SM artists, particularly NCT DREAM’s Renjun and WayV members YangYang and Xiaojun, including local promotions and entertainment activities.

The appointment is particularly fitting given Zhoumi’s own history.

As a member of SUPER JUNIOR-M, he has extensive experience working across Korean and Chinese entertainment markets. SUPER JUNIOR-M was created specifically to expand SUPER JUNIOR’s reach into the Chinese-speaking market, making Zhoumi familiar with the cultural and business dynamics involved in cross-border idol activities.

His new position therefore places him on the other side of the industry equation. Instead of simply promoting as an artist, he will now help shape the development and management of future Chinese idols.

Zhoumi described the joint venture as the result of strong trust between SM and Tencent Music and said he hopes to combine SM’s expertise in intellectual property and content production with an understanding of the Chinese market.

The project could become particularly important for SM as the company continues to develop region-specific strategies.

The next major milestone will be the casting and trainee-development process.

If everything proceeds according to plan, the new Chinese idol group could debut around 2028 or 2029, giving Zhoumi and STE several years to build the project from the ground up.