A fan site dedicated to former Big Bang member T.O.P has shut down after 20 years, with members accusing the rapper and his agency of neglecting fans and taking their support for granted.
The site, Choidot, which began operating on Aug. 24, 2006, announced its closure Saturday. Its operators said years of frustration with T.O.P. and his agency, Topspot Pictures, drove the decision, rather than his recently confirmed relationship with singer and actress Nana.
“We decided that we could no longer overlook their refusal to face reality, avoidance of responsibility and attitude of taking fans’ dedication for granted,” the operators said in a statement posted on the site’s official X account.
The dispute came to a head over the cancellation of a fan-organised exhibition inspired by T.O.P’s first solo studio album, “Another Dimension.”
According to the operators, the exhibition, originally scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1, had a budget of about 9 million won ($6,700). Ticket sales from 300 visitors were expected to cover 7.5 million won, with two organisers paying the remaining costs.
However, only about 20 people registered during the first week. Despite extending the registration period and promoting the event, reservations remained far below expectations. Cancellations following news of T.O.P’s relationship pushed projected losses to around 7 million won, prompting the organisers to cancel the exhibition.
The operators stressed that not all cancellations were related to the dating news and rejected suggestions that fans cancelled because they were angry about the relationship.
“Many fans, including us, knew about their relationship even before the YouTube content featuring T.O.P and Nana was filmed, but we did not mention it because it was the artist’s private life,” they said.
Instead, the organisers pointed to a long-standing lack of communication and support from T.O.P and his agency.
They accused Topspot Pictures of failing to establish basic communication channels, leaving the fan site to handle inquiries from overseas fans, promote the artist’s music, translate content and coordinate fan activities.
“Just because we started this voluntarily does not mean our time and labour should be taken for granted,” they said.
The operators also criticised the lack of performances and promotional activities following T.O.P’s solo album release in April, saying fans had waited five months without seeing him return to the stage.
“Despite saying he made his first solo album for fans, there were not enough performances or opportunities for communication that fans had wanted and waited for most,” they said.
Topspot Pictures issued an apology Saturday, acknowledging shortcomings in its communication with fans.
“We sincerely apologise for failing to provide fans who have waited for us with sufficient updates on the artist’s activities and opportunities for communication, leaving them disappointed and frustrated,” the agency said. “We will listen more closely to fans’ feedback and actively reflect it in the artist’s activities and our overall operations.”
The agency also pledged to review its communication practices and announce improvements through its official channels.
T.O.P and Nana confirmed their relationship on 2nd October, saying they began dating in June after meeting during the filming of the music video for his song “Studio54.”
Source: The Korea Herald
