A longtime fan site dedicated to former Big Bang member T.O.P announced that it would resume operations on Wednesday, about a month after shutting down.
Choidot said late Wednesday that it had decided to reopen following “deep consideration and hesitation,” citing T.O.P’s efforts to reach out and address the concerns that had led to its closure.
The fan site, which had supported T.O.P since 2006, announced the end of its operations on Oct. 9 after nearly two decades. At the time, its operators raised concerns over a lack of communication from his agency and what they described as an excessive workload placed on fans. Choidot was further frustrated by the cancellation of an exhibition it had organized.
In its latest statement, Choidot said the period following the closure had been difficult, particularly as its earlier remarks drew widespread public attention.
“During a time when we felt as though we were falling apart, T.O.P was the first to reach out to us,” the operators wrote on their X account.
They added that although his message took time to reach them, his efforts ultimately prompted them to reconsider their decision.
“He may have been somewhat awkward in the way he expressed his feelings, but he was still the person we had known and believed in,” the statement read. “Because of the courage he showed us, we were able to look back on what had happened. Now we want to find the courage to try again as well.”
T.O.P publicly apologized earlier this month in a letter posted on his Instagram, thanking the fan site for supporting him over the past 20 years and acknowledging that fans had been hurt and misunderstood because of him. He added that Choidot's support over the years had given him strength, even during periods when he struggled to believe in himself.
His agency Topspot Pictures, also apologized for shortcomings in its communication with fans and pledged to improve.
Choidot said it did not expect those changes to happen overnight but would continue watching the process unfold.
“Even if the changes may sometimes seem insufficient, we believe that as they accumulate one by one, they will eventually be felt by everyone,” the operators said.
The fan site stressed that reopening did not erase the hurt or concerns that had prompted its initial shutdown. Instead, it said the decision came after both sides had confirmed their intentions to move forward.
“After much consideration, we realized that our feelings (toward T.O.P) have not changed at all from 20 years ago,” Choidot wrote. “Going forward, rather than the responsibility or sense of obligation we had placed on ourselves, we want to look at T.O.P with the same simple affection we had when we first became fans.”
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
