Yesung Expresses Frustration

Yesung Expresses Frustration Over SM's 30th Anniversary Concert: "Cold Treatment in Group Songs"

Super Junior member Yesung has voiced his disappointment regarding SM Entertainment's handling of its 30th anniversary concert.

Through the fan communication platform Bubble, Yesung recently shared his thoughts, saying, "I’ve seen some questions about SMTOWN. Since it’s an event for a company I’ve been with for over 20 years, I’ll try my best to participate. But I couldn’t contribute much to the album’s music." He added, "Especially regarding the cold treatment I’ve received for group songs—I’m tired of even talking about it and don’t want to anymore. I’ll just focus on my own performances, so please understand."

Yesung's comments come after similar sentiments were expressed by Girls' Generation's Taeyeon and Red Velvet's Wendy, highlighting issues with SM Entertainment’s organization of the concert. The SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in SEOUL, celebrating the company's 30th anniversary, is set to take place on January 11 and 12 at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. However, SM previously announced that Taeyeon would not be participating and, on January 6, stated that Wendy would also be absent due to personal reasons, leaving fans puzzled.

Wendy addressed the situation on a fan platform, saying, "You may or may not have seen the notice, but I discussed this with the company more than a month ago, and the announcement was only posted today. I feel sorry for the many ReVeluvs (Red Velvet fandom name) who were likely looking forward to a 5-member stage."

Similarly, Taeyeon shared her frustrations, stating, "I was eager to prepare and perform two or three songs and told the company about it. I waited, but to put it bluntly, they didn’t prepare anything, so I couldn’t do it at all. It’s not because I didn’t want to or lacked motivation."

She added, "I’m simply passionate about performing and want to give my all on stage, but I haven’t received the support I needed. I’m seriously thinking about this situation. I’m not sure what’s going on. I wanted to address this with SONEs (Girls' Generation fandom name) to clear up any misunderstandings about me." When a fan suggested that the company might have its reasons, Taeyeon pointedly responded, "Their reason was that they 'forgot' to communicate about it. I can see how that might be inconvenient for them."

The concert will feature performances from artists including Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon, SHINee’s Key and Minho, EXO’s Suho and Chanyeol, Red Velvet (Irene, Seulgi, Joy, Yeri), NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV, aespa, RIIZE, NCT WISH, nævis, and Raiden. Despite the impressive lineup, the absence of key artists and internal frustrations have sparked controversy among fans and the public.

Written by Han Hae Seon

Translated by Lee So Yun

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