Taemin Addresses SHINee's Absence at SM's 30th Anniversary Concert

On January 13, Taemin shared his thoughts regarding SHINee's absence from the full group performance at the SMTOWN LIVE 2025 concert, held on January 11 and 12 at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. Through the official fan communication platform Bubble, he expressed, "I want to cautiously mention this in case there are fans worried about SHINee. I'm sorry we couldn't show our full group at SMTOWN. I wanted to quickly finalize discussions with the company so we could present SHINee, but the back-and-forth took some time."

The SMTOWN LIVE 2025 concert celebrated SM Entertainment's 30th anniversary and featured a variety of performances from artists under the label, including trainees and the SM Town family. However, only Key and Minho from SHINee participated, performing solo and collaborative stages, which left fans disappointed due to the absence of a full group performance.

Taemin and Onew, two members of SHINee, had left SM last year to join new agencies, Griffin Entertainment and Big Planet Made, respectively. Given the significance of the 30th anniversary concert, expectations were high for a full SHINee performance, but ultimately, the two members were unable to join.

This led to speculation among fans regarding the reasons behind the lack of a full group stage. As criticism began to target Onew, who had recently released a solo album, his agency's representative took to social media to express frustration, stating, "Let’s correct what needs to be corrected. It’s tiring to receive notifications about cancellations. Let’s cooperate. How many times have we received cancellation notices? Let’s keep affection and courtesy to a minimum."

In light of the swirling rumors, Taemin decided to clarify the situation directly to fans. He reassured them, saying, "We are in discussions, and it will be sorted out soon. I want to protect SHINee with the members and have many stories to share in the future. I hope fans won’t worry about whether I want to continue with SHINee or if they will see us again."

He added, "I hope my words don’t become a source of conflict for anyone. All the members love SHINee and share the same feelings. We are carefully preparing to start again, so let’s meet with smiles soon."