Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Red Velvet’s Wendy have both addressed their unexpected absences from SM Entertainment’s highly anticipated 30th Anniversary concert.
On Monday, Taeyeon shared her thoughts via Bubble’s fan communication platform: “I was excited to deliver a great performance and had expressed my desire to perform two or three songs to the company. I’ve been waiting for their response.”
SM Entertainment initially included Taeyeon in the lineup and the main poster for the joint concert SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in SEOUL but later announced her withdrawal.
The company apologized to fans for the lineup change and assured them that ticket cancellations and refunds could be processed without additional fees through the ticketing provider’s customer service.
Taeyeon emphasized that her absence was “absolutely not due to lack of motivation or unwillingness to perform.” She explained, “I’m passionate about performing and want to give my all, but I’ve been seriously reconsidering my position because I feel unsupported.”
Her comments suggest that her decision to withdraw stems from a lack of adequate preparation and support from her agency.
Taeyeon also clarified, “I’m sharing this to avoid any misunderstandings, especially with my fans, S♡NE,” explaining her decision to address the issue publicly.
Meanwhile, Wendy of Red Velvet, who also announced her sudden withdrawal just five days before the concert, spoke out. On Monday, Melon Ticket’s ticketing service updated its official website to inform fans that “Red Velvet’s Wendy will not be participating in SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in SEOUL due to personal reasons.”
Wendy expressed her frustration, revealing, “We discussed this with the company over a month ago, but the announcement was only made today.”
Fans reacted angrily on social media, with comments such as, “It’s the 30th anniversary, yet they’re sidelining Taeyeon and Wendy while including 25 trainees who haven’t even debuted,” “SM without Taeyeon is unimaginable,” and “How could they treat them like this? It’s infuriating that they have to speak out for themselves.”
The SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in SEOUL concert is scheduled for January 11 and 12 at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
The concert will feature a star-studded lineup of SM artists, including Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Hyoyeon, SHINee’s Key and Minho, EXO’s Suho and Chanyeol, Red Velvet, NCT 127, NCT Dream, aespa, and RIIZE.
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