Yang Joon-il Appeals for "Understanding and Kindness" Amid Controversy Over Fan Cafe 'Fantazai' Management

Singer Yang Joon-il is giving a greeting at a fan meeting press conference held on the afternoon of the 31st at Daeyang Hall, Sejong University, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Sung-yeol] Singer Yang Joon-il asked for understanding regarding the controversy surrounding the management team of his fan cafe.

On the afternoon of the 6th, Yang Joon-il posted on his Instagram a photo of hands clasped together with the caption "We all make mistakes."

In the post, he stated, "I wish we can see beyond the mistake and see the intent," and added, "Yang Joon-il did not mean to hurt anyone."

He also said, "Please show understanding and kindness to someone in need," followed by "PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE."

Post by Yang Joon-il / Photo by Yang Joon-il Instagram capture

Through this, Yang Joon-il appears to be addressing the recent controversy involving the management team of his fan cafe 'Fantasia.'

On the 5th, the 'Fantasia' team announced, "Starting today, we will restrict posting for about two days to reorganize the cafe and will not accept new members."

In response, cafe members opposed the management's unilateral operation, and the 'Fantasia' management apologized, saying, "We apologize for closing the cafe board without your consent. There were too many suspicions, and we needed time to sort things out."

They continued, "We will step down as cafe managers. We did not run the cafe with selfish intentions," and explained, "We only took on the role because we were afraid that this place, filled with memories of singer Yang Joon-il, would be closed when the cafe faced a closure crisis."

They added, "Before fully realizing the growing size of the fan cafe, we endured with the intention of solving the immediate issues first," and apologized, "We sincerely apologize for the various mistakes and faults caused by my inexperience, and for the resulting suspicions."

They requested, "Please prevent the fan cafe, which has already grown large, from being taken over with malicious intent," and said they would "hire professional supporters and not interfere with operations."

Subsequently, the temporary management team elected to resolve the situation posted a notice on the morning of the 7th, stating, "We will immediately resign once an official successor is decided."

The temporary management said, "We will reinstate those who were unfairly suspended as active members," and "We will act as facilitators until the official cafe manager and staff are organized."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.