Singer Kim Taeyeon /Courtesy of News1

The agency of 'national music prodigy' Kim Tae-yeon has expressed its intention to not participate in the Changsu County local festival, which has sparked controversy over a name confusion with Girls' Generation's Taeyeon.

Kim Tae-yeon's agency, K-Tigers Entertainment, expressed strong regret to the Changsu County office on the 16th, stating, "Considering Kim Tae-yeon's mental stability as the top priority, we have determined that the situation (Changsu County local festival) is unrelated to our agency and have decided not to get involved in the related events."

K-Tigers noted in a statement, "We would like to clarify our position regarding the Changsu County office-hosted local festival that has been mentioned in recent reports and online." It continued, "Recently, through an officially commissioned agency, we received a request for Kim Tae-yeon's engagement from the Changsu County local festival organizers."

Born in 2012, Kim Tae-yeon is a national music prodigy who began learning pansori and folk songs at the age of 4 and gained recognition by finishing 4th in the TV Chosun program 'Miss Trot 2'.

Kim Tae-yeon recently accepted a request to participate in the local festival 'Changsu Heungwoo-rang Apple-rang Festival' being held in Changsu County. However, a poster was later released online indicating that it would be Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, not Kim Tae-yeon, who would perform, sparking public interest.

In this regard, Girls' Generation's Taeyeon noted that she had not received any offers for engagement, while Kim Tae-yeon's side stated that her engagement was accurate; however, the Changsu County office indicated that they had engaged Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, leading to controversy.

K-Tigers emphasized, "Since it was a negotiation through official channels, we confirmed this engagement and were made aware of the fact that a photo of an unrelated artist with the same name was used in related promotional materials (posters)." It continued, "However, later on, the Changsu County office reported that they failed to engage another artist and also took a stance denying Kim Tae-yeon's engagement. We express our strong regret regarding this matter."

In particular, the agency stated, "Kim Tae-yeon has experienced significant confusion and hurt due to this incident. It is very regrettable and unfortunate that she has been caught up in such a bewildering and irresponsible situation while she is in a crucial phase of proving herself on stage," and emphasized, "Considering Kim Tae-yeon's mental well-being as our top priority, we have determined that this situation is not related to our agency regardless of the facts and will not involve ourselves in the related events."

Additionally, K-Tigers stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that artist Kim Tae-yeon can continue her activities in a healthy environment," and added, "We sincerely apologize for the confusion caused and urge the organizers to respond more prudently to prevent similar cases from reoccurring in the future."

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