industry insiders speculate there wasn’t enough time to satisfy everyone
Amid growing complaints from senior idols at SM Entertainment about the company’s upcoming 30th-anniversary concerts, fans and industry insiders speculate that the perceived lack of support for long-standing artists could be fueling internal discord. The “SMTown Live 2025 in Seoul” concerts are set to take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday.
Just two days after Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Red Velvet’s Wendy expressed frustration over SM Entertainment’s poor communication and lack of collaboration when preparing for the event, comments made by Super Junior’s Yesung last month resurfaced Wednesday, further highlighting tensions at the K-pop powerhouse.
“I occasionally see questions about SMTown (concerts), and since it’s an event of a company I’ve been with for over 20 years, I’ll try to participate as much as possible. However, I was hardly involved in the album’s music,” Yesung said via the fan communication platform Bubble.
SM Entertainment is preparing a commemorative album featuring various artists under its management to mark its 30th anniversary. Tracks from the album will debut at this weekend's concerts.
Yesung expressed disappointment about his limited involvement in the album’s production.
“I’m honestly tired of talking about the cold treatment regarding group songs, and I don’t want to anymore. I’m just going to focus on my own performances, so please understand that,” he added.
While Taeyeon and Wendy have withdrawn from the concert, Yesung will still perform at the event.
Taeyeon, Wendy and Yesung are veteran SM Entertainment artists, each having worked with the agency for over a decade. While the exact reasons for their frustrations remain unclear, there are several speculations.
A local entertainment official suggested the issue might stem from poor communication.
“Based on Taeyeon’s post, it seems her concerns were about time allocation or the number of songs during the SMTown concert. It appears to be a communication mishap,” the official said. “Given the limited time available to showcase all the artists, there likely wasn’t enough time to satisfy everyone. On the other hand, senior artists probably had personal ambitions or expectations, and it seems those weren’t properly coordinated.”
Another industry insider pointed out that the sheer size of SM Entertainment and its extensive artist roster make it unrealistic to expect the company to address every demand.
SM Entertainment declined to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, Taeyeon, on Monday, denied claims that her withdrawal from the concert was due to a lack of enthusiasm.
“It’s not because I lack enthusiasm or didn’t want to do it. I have genuine love and dedication for the stage, but I’m seriously considering this because I didn’t receive the support to do my best,” she said via Bubble.
