As of February 15, 2025, fans of boy group BTOB are expressing significant dissatisfaction with the group's management and recent activities. The controversy centers around scheduling conflicts and perceived mismanagement by the group's agency, leading to concerns about member inclusion and fair treatment.
Recently, a full-group video featuring all six BTOB members was released, aiming to address fan concerns. However, fans noted that four members share the same agency, while Lee Changsub and Yook Sungjae are under individual agencies.
Despite prior coordination, the agency overseeing the four members scheduled a group concert that overlapped with Lee Changsub's pre-planned solo concert, leading to unavoidable conflicts. This situation compelled the members to release an explanatory video.
The agency announced that they would not create a unit name for the four-member activities, instead promoting them as BTOB and stating that these four are preserving the group's identity. They also unilaterally changed the official Japanese fan club from six members to four, excluding Lee Changsub and Yook Sungjae. Previously, the agency had sold light sticks featuring only the four members, marketing them as a renewal of the official BTOB light stick. These actions have been officially confirmed by the agency.
Contrary to the agency's implications, Lee Changsub and Yook Sungjae have not been consistently absent from group activities due to individual schedules. Yook Sungjae recently returned to acting, and Lee Changsub, after a delay in his solo album due to vocal cord issues, resumed his activities. Originally, all six members planned to promote together, and Yook Sungjae's 2024 activity plans were publicly announced earlier in the year. The four-member activities were initially intended as a unit project.
The explanatory video appears to be an attempt to address the situation, but fans observed that while two members earnestly tried to clarify, others made remarks downplaying the issue, suggesting that schedule overlaps are inevitable and that past events are inconsequential. This has further fueled fan dissatisfaction.
Additionally, in the video, Lee Changsub and Yook Sungjae's social media accounts were not tagged, raising further concerns about their exclusion.
Fans are calling for the agency to address these issues transparently and ensure fair treatment of all members to preserve the group's unity and trust with their supporters.
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