Is Taeyeon being too fastidious, or is SM Entertainment neglecting its veteran artist?

Korea Herald

27-04-2025

Performances for the Japan leg of Taeyeon's solo tour were abruptly canceled last week after essential equipment failed to arrive in time.
A resurfaced online post by an anonymous SM Entertainment employee criticizing the Girls' Generation member for making excessive demands when preparing for shows is fueling debates over who is to blame.
Prior to SM Entertainment's 30th-anniversary concert 'SMTown Live 2025 in Seoul' held Jan. 11-12, Taeyeon expressed frustration on fandom platform, Bubble, over her agency's poor communication and lack of collaboration in preparing for the event.
After the singer's complaint gained attention online, an SM Entertainment employee refuted the accusation, arguing that everyone in the company was working hard to successfully hold the concert, but that Taeyeon was only thinking about herself.
'I am not only exhausted but filled with anger. Everyone is working themselves to the bone ahead of the concert, and she just posts a single Bubble message and that's it? There's so much to say while looking at all the messy articles,' the employee, who verified their identity as a staff member at SM Entertainment, wrote on the online community, Blind. 'If you're a senior artist, act like one. If you've been around long enough, think a little more before you speak.'
Taeyeon eventually withdrew from SM Entertainment's anniversary concert.
A similar problem occurred April 17, when SM Entertainment announced via its official Japanese website that Taeyeon's April 19-20 concerts at Tokyo's Ariake Arena had been canceled, just two days before the shows.
The agency cited delays in equipment delivery from Jakarta, Indonesia, where Taeyeon's previous show was held, as the reason for the cancellation.
'After repeated discussions with related parties and exploring all possible options, we determined that it would be difficult to hold the concert in a fully prepared state and decided to cancel the event,' the company said in a statement.
However, the controversy grew as the cancellation notice was posted only on SM Entertainment's official Japanese website, and concerns were raised over the significant financial losses suffered by the fans who had planned to attend the concert from outside Japan.
Taeyeon, again, shared her feelings through Bubble, saying, 'When the news of the Japan concert cancellation was delivered, I was so worried about Sone (Girls' Generation fandom) and felt so heartbroken that I didn't know what to say.'
'I hate everything about this situation, and I am sorry to Sone. It feels as if my concert, which was created through everyone's efforts and anticipation, disappeared and was stolen in an instant. I don't know how to express this feeling of emptiness and helplessness,' she added.
A longtime fan of SM Entertainment also criticized the agency, saying it had made an inexcusable mistake in handling the event.
'It is unbelievable that a concert was canceled because the equipment did not arrive. Preparing the necessary equipment on time is a basic requirement. Even a one-person agency would not make such a mistake,' a 30-something fan said on condition of anonymity.
A week later, Taeyeon also shared a statement from her global fan union on her social media account that urged SM Entertainment to take a series of actions in response to the controversy.
The statement called on the agency to identify the party responsible for the incident and to take appropriate disciplinary measures against SM Entertainment's Center 1 division and related officials.
Center 1 is responsible for the management of four artists, including Girls' Generation, BoA and aespa. In 2023, SM Entertainment announced its production center system as one of the main elements of the SM 3.0 strategy that seeks to diversify artist management with multiple production centers instead of being managed by a single individual production team, previously led by the company founder, Lee Soo-man.
Fans also demanded that SM Entertainment issue an official apology and statement through Taeyeon's official channel.
The union further requested that the company prepare substantial compensation measures for fans affected by the cancellation of the Japanese concerts and disclose the details transparently.