SM Entertainment has rejected the rumor that it banned its artists from joining A2O LITE’s “NEON” dance challenge. Its reported response points to Super Junior members dancing to the song and says the company had not received a challenge request. That is an agency response to speculation—not evidence that a ban existed.
What did SM actually say?
In Maekyung Economy’s Korean report, an SM representative referred to Super Junior members having performed the dance, then said: “챌린지를 요청받은 바가 없다”—“We have not been asked to do the challenge.” The wording does not identify who would have made that request.
The original article was published on October 23 and updated on October 26, 2026. Soompi subsequently covered the denial in English. Readers encountering the story now should distinguish that renewed coverage from a new statement issued today.
Why Super Junior matters to the story
Super Junior’s Heechul and Leeteuk had already brought “NEON” into their 83z fan-concert appearance in Singapore. UDN’s October 19 report described the playful onstage moment and linked a video of it.
A concert segment and a jointly filmed promotional challenge are different formats. The public performance is relevant to SM’s response, but it does not reveal the company’s internal booking process or establish a policy for every artist. An absent upload cannot settle either question.
The Korean wording makes an important distinction
STAR CUT’s Korean-language reading: 금지설 means a rumor or claim of a prohibition. The final syllable, 설, matters: translating the word simply as “ban” turns a disputed proposition into an apparent fact.
Likewise, “we have not been asked” is a statement about a request. It is not the same sentence as “we forbid this,” nor does it promise that a collaboration will happen. Keeping those distinctions intact gives English readers more useful context than treating every missing video as a feud.
This is an interpretation of the language and the available evidence, not a claim that Korean fans share one opinion. Neither the agency’s short response nor a selection of social-media comments can tell us what the Korean public as a whole thinks.
There is a dance story beyond the agency debate
In a separate TenAsia interview published on October 28, choreographer J Black explained why the introduction is harder than it looks. He described the apparent shoulder shake as a combination of bouncing and twisting, with rapid footwork adding to the difficulty.
He also welcomed the different ways people had attempted the choreography and singled out TWS members Jihoon and Kyungmin as particularly close to the original among the videos he had seen. That is a named choreographer’s assessment, rather than an anonymous verdict on which idols can dance.
Watch the official “NEON” video for the original performance. For the agency question, the most useful next evidence would be a fuller on-record explanation or an actual collaboration announcement. Until then, SM’s response should remain attached to the rumor whenever it is discussed.