Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon Takes Another Shot At SM Entertainment Amidst Disagreements

Amidst the discord surrounding Girls’ Generation Taeyeon‘s concert tour and promotions, the star seems to have taken another shot at her own agency, SM Entertainment.

The situation began unfolding just days ago when Taeyeon updated her social media with a post that seemed to be hinting at her frustrations with SM Entertainment.

Following the agency’s announcement that Taeyeon’s The ODD of LOVE concert would be coming to Jakarta’s Indonesia Convention Exhibition venue, the Girls’ Generation star posted an Instagram story with a thinking face emoji. She soon followed up with a second post where she wrote, “‘Taeyeon Concert in Jakarta’-nim doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

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Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) has been a controversial venue among fans for quite a while now. Taeyeon’s concert was scheduled to perform in Hall 5, which is known for its small capacity and poor layout. Holding a maximum of just 5,000 fans, it was clear to SONEs that the ICE hall was nowhere near big enough for Taeyeon’s Indonesian fanbase.

And the fandom wasn’t about to take things lying down. Almost immediately, fanbases DC Taeyeon Gallery and China KimTaeyeon Bar rallied together to send trucks to SM Entertainment’s headquarters, with an array of damning messages.

The expected audience for Taeyeon’s arena tour is baffling. Taeyeon is the only one without a tour, and you guys are cutting down the audience?… Realize the large size of her fandom and find a larger venue. Give us correct feedback on her tour schedule through promotional articles.

— Taeyeon fans’ truck messages

The trucks from both DC Taeyeon Gallery and China KimTaeyeon Bar have been sent to SM building #에셈_태연_차별대우_그만해#SM_STOP_DISCRIMINATING_TAEYEON@TAEYEONsmtown @SMTOWNGLOBAL pic.twitter.com/iT5DKo0ABl

— ᴛᴀᴇʏᴇᴏɴ ꜱᴛᴜꜰꜰ (@kimtaenos) June 22, 2023

Thankfully, the concert promoter seemed to take note. The following day, organizer Dyandra Global announced that a second hall would be added for Taeyeon’s Jakarta concert, presumably doubling the capacity.

After further discussions on the overwhelming demand for The ODD of LOVE in Jakarta, we hereby announce that an additional hall will be added for the show.

— Dyandra Global

However, it seems that the late change wasn’t enough to quell Taeyeon’s displeasure. The same day, she sent a message to SONEs on the messaging platform Bubble, where she apologized and acknowledged that SM Entertainment’s management can be frustrating. Now, two days later, she’s taken another step against the agency.

taeyeon:
“sones’ heart = my heart
i’m fully understand the company’s response and ability to handle work are frustrating from fans’ perspective. Even myself is feeling uncomfortable, and there seems a lot of cronic problems need to solved in the future, (1/3) pic.twitter.com/qnCIxIZIP7

— ㅌ ㅅ (@taengsynim) June 22, 2023

Taeyeon already has a strong social media presence, with almost 19 million followers on Instagram. However, in February last year, the agency also decided to open “official” accounts for the star. These social media accounts, including a Twitter profile and an Instagram account with 268,000 followers, are managed by SM Entertainment rather than Taeyeon herself.

Naturally, Taeyeon used to follow the official account from her own personal account. However, today, fans have spotted that she has now unfollowed the SM-managed profile.

Taeyeon unfollowed Taeyeon Official IG account #에셈_태연_차별대우_그만해#SM_STOP_DISCRIMINATING_TAEYEON@TAEYEONsmtown @SMTOWNGLOBAL pic.twitter.com/vARNHLsLKN

— TAEYEON UPDATES (@309KTYSS) June 24, 2023

Across social media, fans are praising the Girls’ Generation star for taking a stand against SM Entertainment, with many launching their own complaints at the company.

SM! What is the use of sending a photo team that doesn't take photo? #Taeyeon had to personally ask the SM team to take photos during her Taipei concert! #에셈_태연_차별대우_그만해#SM_STOP_DISCRIMINATING_TAEYEON@TAEYEONsmtown
@SMTOWNGLOBALpic.twitter.com/3diH4O9gMT https://t.co/e5FOyLLQet

— Taeyeon_Taengoo (@Taengoo_Forever) June 24, 2023

Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whether Taeyeon’s agency will heed the words of herself and her fans. Given that SM Entertainment recently called the police on fans’ protest trucks, it seems the company isn’t willing to admit fault just yet.

SM Entertainment Calls The Cops On Protest Trucks For Taeyeon, But The Plan Backfires