Controversy regarding the unfair treatment Super Junior is receiving from SM Entertainment (especially in comparison to SNSD) is still brewing hot on Korean boards. Recently, a post on Nate Pann received about 205,069 views and made it into the top 10 most viewed/commented post of the week. It received about 2,125 recommendations and 1,227 comments as of October 16th.
The full translation of the post is as follows:
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1. Let’s begin with what Lee Soo Man himself thinks of Super Junior (this is taken directly from an interview he had):
“그는 ㅂㅇ 가 일본 진출에 성공한 이후 아시아뿐만 아니라 세계에서 통할 수 있는 최고의 팀을 구상했다. 그러나 자원의 한계 때문에 선택과 집중이 필요했다. 그래서 여러 팀에서 최고를 한 사람씩 뽑아서 메이저리그라고 할 수 있는 단 한 팀을 구성했고, 그것이 ㄷㅂㅅㄱ였다. “여기에 선발되지 않은 팀은 모두 와해될 판이었습니다. 하지만 계약을 했기 때문에 책임져야 했지요. 그래서 그런 팀 중에서 음악도 잘하고 버라이어티쇼도 할 수 있는 팀으로 키운 게 슈퍼주니어였어요. 그들은 살아남기 위해 피눈물나는 노력을 기울였고, 저희도 미안해서 도와주게 됐지요.”
“Lee Soo Man successfully advanced BoA into the Japanese market and began planning the best team that he would be taking not only into Asia, but worldwide. Because of the limits of support, he needed to focus and choose. Out of several different teams, he chose one member from each and brought them together to create a ‘major-league’ team. That team was TVXQ. Lee Soo Man stated, ‘The members that weren’t chosen to be a part of the team were on the verge of disintegration. But because we had already contracted with them, we had to take responsibility. One of the teams was Super Junior, a group we raised to excel in music and variety shows. In order to survive, they had to cry tears of bleed through their efforts. We felt sorry for them, which is why we helped.’”
Source: http://biz.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/10/14/2011101401275.html
So I guess that’s proof that they don’t care what happens to us and that they’re only supporting the group out of sympathy. To SM, it doesn’t matter whether Super Junior does well or not. I feel so bad for our oppas, they have nothing but their fans to trust in a company like that.
It’s always the fans that are promoting their albums for them.
2. SM Entertainment changed Super Junior’s solo concert to an SM Entertainment concert.
Europe had been sending many requests for a Super Junior concert. Right when they were preparing one, SM changed it to a full out SM Entertainment concert.
Peru voted Super Junior as the #1 artist they wanted to see there. Not SM Town, but Super Junior. They had petitioned for a Super Junior concert for some time now.
3. Album quality
SNSD’s album is made out of iron – obviously a lot of work was gone into it. But as for us? Ever since our second album, we’ve been getting nothing but pieces of paper.
But it gets better. I heard that SNSD’s iron album is only $19. Our pieces of paper was $20. Since when did paper become so expensive in Korea?
SM never does anything for us. At first, we were just upset and shocked, but now we’re so used to it. Don’t you think this is too much, though?
4. SM is trying to delay Super Junior Show
5. SM is always re-using sets for Super Junior’s music videos and teasers
6. SM always cuts off Super Junior with ‘etc’ when talking about their company in articles.
For example: “Starting with H.O.T., artists under SM like BoA, TVXQ, SNSD, and etc are receiving much popularity overseas.”
Lee Soo Man also stated, “TVXQ is a group formed by taking the best members out of three idol teams. Super Junior is a group with the rest of those members. Because of that, there was a large difference in skill, which is why they had to grit their teeth to work to become the world’s greatest idols. It’s a result I myself didn’t expect.”
7. Heechul’s SM diss on radio:
“내가 가끔그러거든요.그 회사분들이랑 얘기할떄 아니우리뭐 대만에서 38주 1위하고 뭐 미인아도 지금뭐 18주짼지 몇주짼지 1위래요 이런거#%@#^* 왜 우린왜 기사 많이 안나와요. 따른데 처럼 막 플레이하고 우리도 빵빵해야지 우린 아무것도 안하는줄 알잖아요.그렇게 얘기하면은 회사에서 어떻게 하면 되게 고마운 말이에요. 아이.. 우리는 슈퍼주니어가 그정도하는거는 어느정도 되게 당연하다고 생각하기 떄문에 고런걸로 괜히 호들갑 떨필요 없다고 생각한다. 그래가지고 제가 그러거든요.
YO말만잘해 욕쉬~”
Heechul: “I sometimes mention how we’ve been ranking first in Taiwan for 38 weeks and how Bonamana has been topping for 18 weeks and stuff like that when talking to people in our company and ask why they don’t make articles for us. I asked them to put out a few headlines like other companies do so that people just don’t think we’re doing nothing. When I say things like that, however, they’ll say back, ‘It’s because we think that it’s definite that Super Junior achieves those things. I don’t think it’s necessary to make a big deal out of things like that.’ So I’ll always just say back, ‘Yeah, you’re all talk.’”
8. ELF, the more things like this happen, let’s not forget our roots and continue to protect Super Junior!
“It is not the cry of an immature child. Being a fan means being brave enough to protect what is most precious to you.”
I’d like to make it clear to Sones or fans of other SM groups that we are not hating on SNSD or Sones, we are criticizing the unfair treatment SM is giving Super Junior! Sones, please don’t apologize for something that isn’t your fault.
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The three best replies were as follows:
1. 1,413 agree, 54 disagree
“So they made a group that they didn’t even think would do well out of pure sympathy. They made them sleep only 2-3 hours a day and travel to Malaysia, China, and Korea in just a day. They made someone who lost their father three weeks ago stand on stage and sing bright songs. They made an injured person that couldn’t even walk properly drag their legs on stage to sing. They made someone that had just come out of a car accident to go on TV. In such a tragic setting, you forced these kids to go on variety shows, perform at events, made them the talk of misunderstanding and criticism just so you could touch a bit of money. Even if they created laughter on variety shows, worked so hard to the point of fainting, they were only given several hundreds for their work – all members included. Even slaves are treated better than this.”
2. 1,382 agree, 67 disagree
“Super Junior cried tears of blood to reach the position they are at now.”
3. 751 agree, 19 disagree
“How much harder must we work to get some support? Super Junior was able to ride a private jet for their schedules on this Music Core, but it wasn’t provided by the company, but by the broadcast station. Thank you, broadcast station.”
Random reply:
“There’s a reason why Super Junior is so nice to their fans. Everything their company and networks say are different so even though they have to trust them, they don’t trust them all the way. They have nothing but their fans to depend on… Elfs know that, so we take care of each other. Thinking back to all the times that we petitioned together, suffered together, and cried together makes me think that I can’t quit being a fan just yet. Things that other fandoms took three, four years to experience, we had to experience just a thousand days into their debut. We have no where to trust – not the company, not anyone – except the members. The members knew that and were always by our side. The company never gave their support, and the fans, using our own hands, got them the DJ the positions they have now. This post makes me think of the old times where I believed that all we had to do was hold it in… hold it in until the group grows more, until they’re at the very top, to create and rewrite history because we have so much more to show.
