T.O.P’s Agency Issues Apology To Fans Following Dating Confirmation, Why?
TOPSPOT Pictures, the agency of former BIGBANG member T.O.P (Choi Seung Hyun), has apologized to fans after his 20-year fan site announced it was shutting down, criticizing the agency’s lack of communication, among other things.
On October 10, TOPSPOT Pictures released an official statement on social media, saying, “We sincerely thank the fans who have cherished and supported T.O.P for a long time. We are taking the opinions fans have recently shared very seriously.”
The agency continued, “We deeply apologize that news about his activities and communication did not reach the fans who have been waiting, and for the disappointment and regret this caused,” bowing its head.
TOPSPOT Pictures promised, “Going forward, we will listen to the opinions fans send in more closely and actively reflect them in the artist’s activities and overall operations. We will look again at how we communicate with fans, and will let you know through official channels as soon as improvements are prepared.” It added, “We will come back with a better image to repay the love sent to the artist.”
Earlier, on October 9, T.O.P’s fan site “ChoiDot” (CHOIDOT) announced through its official social media that it would end the operation it had continued for 20 years. The site opened on August 24, 2006, and had supported T.O.P for about 20 years, but it explained the reason for closing, saying, “We have decided that we can no longer tolerate T.O.P and his agency turning a blind eye to reality, avoiding responsibility, and taking the dedication of fans for granted.”
In particular, it claimed that the agency effectively had no channel for fan communication. The fan site criticized, “They receive fan support but did not set up even an official inquiry channel, community, or email,” adding, “Even inquiries from overseas fans came to us, and we ended up taking on the role of the channel between the company and the fans.”
It also claimed that the agency had depended on the fan site’s voluntary activities for a considerable part of work that the agency should handle, such as album promotion and fan events. As supporting material, it also released messages and emails it said it had exchanged with agency staff.
The fan site also addressed the recently controversial cancellation of the fan exhibition. It explained that it prepared the exhibition with a budget of about 9 million won (approximately $6,500), but the burden on the operators grew because of low reservations, and cancellations of reservations followed, making it difficult to hold the event.
However, it drew a line against the interpretation that the cancellation was a result of backlash against T.O.P’s relationship. The fan site emphasized, “Many fans knew about the relationship between the two before the YouTube content was filmed, but did not mention it because it is the artist’s private life,” adding, “It is hard to accept that our disappointment and the cancellation of the exhibition are being defined as ‘the actions of fans angry about the relationship.’”
It also had harsh words for T.O.P himself. The fan site said, “An album is not a gift or an honor bestowed on fans,” and “We ask that you put down the arrogance of assuming that fans will naturally move the way you want.”
It continued, “The love and support of fans is not something to be used when needed and turned away from when inconvenient,” and emphasized once again its decision to close, saying, “We do not want to deny all the sincerity of the past 20 years, but if we have to swallow all the hurt and stay silent to protect that sincerity from now on, we can no longer do that.”
Meanwhile, T.O.P debuted with BIGBANG in 2006 and officially confirmed his departure from the group in 2023. On October 2, he confirmed that he is dating actress Nana, who later broke her silence on the news.
Source: (A)
