SM Entertainment, the South Korean entertainment company behind global K-pop acts such as Aespa, NCT and Riize, officially opened its first K-pop training academy in Southeast Asia on Saturday, Jan 24. The academy, known as SM Universe Singapore, is located at *SCAPE along Orchard Road.
The Singapore campus is also the first K-pop training academy that SM Entertainment has opened outside South Korea. The opening marks the company’s first overseas venture of this kind, bringing its training system to the region.
Programmes and training offered since the soft launch
SM Universe Singapore first began operations with a soft launch in June 2025. Since then, the academy has introduced more than 70 programmes and trained over 600 students from more than 10 countries. The courses offered cover various aspects of the K-pop industry, including vocals, dance, performance, and production.
Earlier in January, the academy launched its flagship professional training programme. The selective course runs for 10 weeks and is designed to be conducted at an industry level. It concludes with a one-week enrichment experience at SM Universe Seoul, where participants have the opportunity to audition for Korean entertainment agencies.
Edwin Tong highlights arts support and global exposure
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Saturday, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong spoke about Singapore’s long-term commitment to supporting the arts and developing young creative talent for the global stage. He also highlighted the value of initiatives such as SM Universe Singapore in giving young people access to professional training and international networks.
“It’s one thing to be a professional in the arts in your own space, but it’s another to be able to tap into international networks, to collaborate, and to use that platform to showcase yourself,” he said.
“To have it right here on our home soil, collaborating with experts who have networks not just in Korea but internationally, to allow us to take the next step is certainly important.”
Mr Tong previously served as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. He was joined at the opening ceremony by Riize members Sohee and Anton, who attended the event while in Singapore. A photo released by SM Universe Singapore showed Mr Tong standing with the two group members during the ceremony.
