This is what SM Entertainment artists & Lee Soo Man do as a group before an SM concert...

On various online community forums, netizens discussed how they noticed Lee Soo Man and SM Entertainment's artists have a tradition of gathering to pray before holding their SM Town concert. In released video clips from the 'SMTOWN LIVE' broadcast of the 'SMCU EXPRESS at Tokyo', various artists from SM Entertainment, such as aespa and NCT, are seen gathered in a hall while holding hands and praying together.

In one video clip posted by a netizen, Lee Soo Man is heard saying, "Others say we have been known as 'SM of Humanity' for a long time. Please help us be humble, be kind, and be the love. Many fans will give us joy and love today. I hope we can return their favor by giving them greater joy and love. Congratulations."

Some netizens commented:

"I'm an atheist, but I think that's fine."

"Prayer is nice to do, no matter what religion."

"His voice is so similar to a cult leader LOL. But the content [of his prayer] doesn’t seem to be problematic."

"Atheists don't like excessively religious people, but I think this is okay."

"Why is this kind of scary though?"

"Is this something they normally do?"

"People even bow to pigs [for drama productions] so why is this a big deal?"

"It's not a big deal for something like this."

"This is just all necessary to do for surviving in the company."

"It's not a big deal to pray before a concert."