[Photograph by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]
"After a long and careful discussion, we have decided to respect Seong-wu's wishes that he no longer receives fan supports except fan letters starting on January 1, 2020," Fantagio said in a statement uploaded onto Ong's fan community website on Friday. The agency said that all "supports", including parcels and other gifts, that arrive at Fantagio's office after 7:00 p.m. (1000 GMT) on December 31 will be discarded.
Providing gifts or "Jogong", a K-pop term for an offering, to idols has been a deep-rooted practice in South Korea's music scene. However, the culture sometimes has caused controvery with some stars requesting expensive luxury goods. In 2012, members of boy band UKISS were criticized for telling fans that they want the limited edition version of PC game Diablo 3.
In recent years, many K-pop idols have rejected gifts from fans. In 2017, Kang Daniel, a former member of Wanna One, told fans to make donations instead of sending him expensive gifts. BTS has stopped receiving gifts from fans since 2018.
Instead of receiving gifts, some stars prepare gifts and lunchboxes for fans at concerts and fan meetings. In April this year, BTS' leader RM provided special gift packs containing the "family photograph" of BTS members and photo image cards with handwritten messages.
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