Do Han Geng And Fly To The Sky’s Interactions With SM Entertainment Imply An Attempt To Salvage Label's Image? [Opinion]

 The SMTOWN concert began in Seoul on August 15, and fans were excited to see familiar faces, as well as new ones like Red Velvet and the return of Super Junior's leader Leeteuk. What most fans hadn't expected until a few days ago was the return of one of SM Entertainment's famous ballad duo, Fly To The Sky.

Also a few days ago, former member of Super Junior Han Geng discussed the fact that he's indebted to SM Entertainment, and even mentioned willingness to collaborate with Super Junior in the future.

In addition, there have been signs that things are not quite as tense between Han Geng and his former group as there once was. Han Geng  recently met up with Super Junior's Heechul and posted a picture on a social media account. He was also seen meeting Super Junior's Siwon at Jackie Chan's birthday celebration in April.

These events follow a highly publicized episode of Ssul Jeon, where Heo Ji Woong said that SM Entertainment was the "Voldemort" to JYJ, the company's most high profile group that had contract issues and left SM Entertainment. It is known to have blocked JYJ's Korean activities on music shows ever since the trio left TVXQ.

JYJ recently released "Back Seat" in Korea, and many fans were outraged that, almost five years since the dispute, the group is still unable to appear on music shows due to SM's clout.

The fact that Fly To The Sky's return to SM's stage, Han Geng's willingness to collaborate with Super Junior, and JYJ's comeback occurred within a few days of one another doesn't seem entirely coincidental.

During previous interviews, Han Geng spoke out about how badly he had been treated, making this the first sign that there has been some warming of tension between him and his former company.

While Fly To The Sky left the company after its contract expired, and Han Geng left after filing a lawsuit aimed at the company, neither Fly To The Sky nor Han Geng are considered to be SM Entertainment artists. The fact that Fly To The Sky performed at SMTOWN's concert, and that Han Geng showed some lessening of tension between him and the company, imply that SM Entertainment may be trying to improve its image as a so-called evil entertainment company.

Fly To The Sky has generally had an amiable relationship with SMTOWN, so the duo's return to the company's concert itself isn't very noteworthy; Fly To The Sky recently made a comeback, and it makes sense to have them promote at SMTOWN in order to attract older fans who may no longer be in SM's younger groups. It does, however, show that an amiable relationship between a group and its former company is possible.

But it is really Han Geng's comments, so different from his previous interviews where he discussed how cruel SM had been, and the fact that he hasn't been seen publicly with Super Junior members until this year, which shows that perhaps Han Geng or SM may have reached out in order to ease the tension.

 Han Geng is partaking in a Korean-Chinese movie so it is definitely in his best interest to be able to promote in Korea without having to worry about SM blocking his career. But he is popular enough in China, with so many more fans than the relatively small Korean population, that Han Geng doesn't necessarily need assurances of popularity in Korea. Which leads to the theory that there is something more going on behind scenes between Han Geng and his former company. 

SM Entertainment is constantly criticized by netizens for mishandling both its current artists and blocking several of its former artists from gaining much success in Korea. JYJ is SM's most prominent former group in Korea, with each of its three members being also being individually popular thanks to their acting and solo careers.

JYJ's split from SM Entertainment was based almost entirely around contract and economic disputes, in comparison to Han Geng who was mishandled as the first Chinese K-Pop star and Fly To The Sky, which left after its contract expired.

While JYJ is a threat to SM, and could set a precedent for other Korean idols to leave, Han Geng's situation was completely different, so at this point it is almost ridiculous that SM Entertainment and he still have tension. Han Geng is a world star, and the Chinese market is huge; it is in SM's best interest to make sure that the Chinese fanbase doesn't harbor harsh feelings at SM for hindering Han Geng's current career.

Even though it is unlikely that Han Geng and Super Junior will truly collaborate due to the tense history, neither SM or Han Geng gain anything any longer from keeping the dispute going. If anything, it will show willingness on SM's part to make amends with a performer who is generally viewed to have been harmed by the company.

Fly To The Sky, in the meantime, recently had a comeback and from the very beginning expressed thanks to SM Entertainment. Older generation idol groups have been making a comeback, but none of them are under their original entertainment companies.

Shinhwa and Fly To The Sky have both now collaborated with SM, their original company, as if to say, "look, SM didn't treat us badly." Fly To The Sky's appearance at SMTOWN show is a statement that a group that was created by SM can still come back and collaborate with newer artists.

Han Geng's willingness to collaborate with Super Junior, and Fly To The Sky's recent performance, seems like former SM artists want to stay in SM's good books. But it may also imply that SM Entertainment, by allowing Fly To The Sky to perform and not banning Super Junior from meeting Han Geng (as had been suggested in the past,) is because SM's image needs a clear rewind.

---

The opinion expressed above is that of the writer and does not reflect the views of KpopStarz.

Tags
SM Entertainment
Han Geng SM Entertainment
Fly To The Sky SMTOWN
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics