Statement Of Ten’s Global Fans, Expressing Our Stance, Appealing To Those Involved In The Artist’s Treatment And Complaints As A Consumer Of SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.

Dear SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Label V,

We, TEN LEE TEAM, TEN BRAZIL, TENCanada, TEN INDIA, TEN LEE Germany, TENLEE PH, TENsfeed, THE GREATEST TEN, Worthy TEN LEE and 10velysupport as representatives of Ten (Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul)‘s fans, have always supported Ten’s work since his first public appearance in 2013 til present, would like to exercise our rights as fans and consumers of the company to express dissatisfaction with the management practices of SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. We hope to receive fair consideration and resolution from the company regarding the issues addressed in this letter, including past incidents and unresolved matters. 

Ten (Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul) has been an artist under SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. for seven years. Ten always respects and confers in the work of all staff, colleagues, and management under SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.  Unfortunately, since the first day of his entertainment career, Ten has never been supported and received fair treatment. We also found that many incidents were caused by the company’s crisis management which affected external teams who collaborated with the artist and these incidents also caused dissatisfaction among us as fans and consumers. 

 

The agency lacks professionalism in publicizing Ten’s activities

Due to incorrect priorities and publicity of the event, like delayed and incomplete information, Ten’s fans were unable to fully support Ten’s work, and that affected general public’s interest and engagement, which hold significant importance for artists. We have noticed that the official accounts of NCT, WayV, and the agency are clearly lacking in promoting Ten. There are always mistakes in information posted on social media platforms, for example, Ten in Paris Vlog on YouTube. The error caused some videos to be cut off from the official account and no explanation was made about the cause. In addition, every time Ten had a solo activity, the official account publicized activities unrelated to Ten’s solo activities or published content that was not important even though the arrangement of time published could be avoided or adjusted. For example, on May 17, 2023, NCT’s official account promoted Ten’s activities via Twitter but did not post through Instagram’s official account, as Ten should’ve experienced, like any other member of the group or artist. At the same time, WayV’s official account fully promoted the activities of other members, with no single publication of Ten’s activities in Thailand that took place at that time. In the past, all activities of members have been published on the official account of NCT and WayV with proper allocation and no overlap to allow fans to be fully aware of the activities or events. It is considered disrespectful to Ten as one of SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.’s artists, fans who are consumers, and people involved including investors or external agencies who collaborated with Ten. This lack of management can damage the image of the artist and SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. These behaviors show that the company does not pay attention to business partners and other agencies.

 

Not getting enough opportunities to do solo activities in South Korea, Thailand, and overseas

Throughout this time, Ten has had very little opportunity to do solo activities compared to other artists, during the time he spent as an artist under SM Entertainment Co., Ltd., causing Ten’s fans to suspect and come up with the question “Why is Ten’s chances of getting a work more difficult than other artists and what is the requirement of accepting each one?” On the other hand, one of the things that we are most curious about is how the company has included Ten’s name in the company’s annual plan to attract the consumer’s attention and investors in February 2023, but in the end, Ten’s names and activities mentioned above disappeared without any explanations. We, as fans, have tried our best to ask the company on all platforms but never receive any response or clarification.

 

The security issue and the lack of management of the company tarnished Ten through social media

Over the past year, Ten’s privacy has been invaded by a group of individuals who have followed him to accommodations, homes, or places, which caused him and his family to panic. It also caused damage and harm to residents and service users in the area. Ten had to write a message directly to that group via Lysn. In addition, there are many social media threats and dissemination of false information that cause Ten and his family disgrace. Ten’s fans have been calling on the company and their Thai partner about such issues via Twitter for years, but they have never issued any statement indicating a warning or legal action against such persons. And there has never been any response or amendment to any of the proposals made by fans. In addition, a person claiming to be working under SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.’s Thai partner stated that the reason for Ten’s lack of solo activities in Thailand was because of the biased judgment from the annoyance when Ten’s fans demanded better treatment. As a result, Ten’s work, which has been contracted through a partner company in Thailand, has all been rejected. We request that the company publicly disclose the facts and provide detailed information regarding whether the agency and its partners have operated with any personal biases.

 

However, due to the incidents, we cannot be complacent about the inappropriate treatment Ten received as an artist. Therefore, we, as Ten’s fans, will fully publicize and support only Ten’s solo activities and take the following position until the company protects Ten from being threatened, treats and promotes Ten as an artist appropriately and as best as an artist can get on an equal basis from the company:

1. We will stop publicizing or inviting fans to join in supporting the products, services, and activities that generate income for the company, such as participating in fan meetings or concerts. We will also cancel plans to purchase SuperM, NCT,  WayV, and agency-related merchandise. 

2. We will not perform music streaming and promote activities from SuperM, NCT, WayV, and special groups Ten may be involved in the future. 

3. We will not do any publicity that will create social media value for SuperM, NCT, WayV, and companies across all channels. 

4. We will not participate in all comeback activities from SuperM, NCT, and WayV, including album purchases, song purchases, merchandise purchases, streaming, and promotional activities during the comeback. 

We want SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. to recognize the importance of Ten as an artist, the importance of fans, the proper treatment of Ten as an artist, thr respect for fans as consumers who support SuperM, NCT, and WayV and the company, and consider the possible consequences of improper or unequal operations. In case SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. requires further assistance, we are welcome to cooperate for better solutions. 

We hope that SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. will take action as soon as possible so as not to further damage the image of the company due to the inappropriate treatment of Ten. And it shows the credibility of the company as the company has said that they will treat all artists equally without exception, whether because Ten is a foreign artist or for any other reason. We hope that the company will show proper practice as the number one company in Asia with a proper management system. Listen to and act in public satisfaction as indicated on the website. 

Therefore, if the company continues to remain silent about the requirements, we will intensely increase the level of sanctions against the agency. 

Thank you for your openness and acknowledgment of our concerns. We, Ten’s Fanbases on behalf of Ten’s fans, hope that this letter of complaint will be accepted, fully reviewed, and responded to by SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. 

    Best regards,  

Ten’s Fanbases