Koyote's concert canceled after Shin Ji declines first pitch at KT Wiz game

Koyote's scheduled post-game concert at a KT Wiz home game on Aug. 2 has been canceled after a controversy erupted over member Shin Ji's refusal to throw the ceremonial first pitch.

On Tuesday, Shin Ji's agency J-Star issued an official statement saying it had "humbly accepted the concerns and voices of KT Wiz fans" and reached an amicable agreement with the club to cancel the concert as well.

J-Star said KT Wiz had approached the group first with the concert offer, and that it had confirmed its participation on the grounds that the performance was an opportunity for Koyote to entertain all fans at the ballpark regardless of which team they supported.

The agency added that a separate first-pitch invitation for Shin Ji personally was conveyed during the planning process, but that it had declined only that offer. "As Shin Ji is widely known as a passionate Hanwha Eagles fan, we judged that having her take the mound at a KT Wiz home game — a rival team's — would be discourteous to both home and away fans and could cause discomfort," the statement said.

The controversy began when Shin Ji said on her YouTube channel that Koyote had gladly accepted an offer to perform at the KT ballpark, but that she had told her agency head she could not throw the first pitch because she is a Hanwha Eagles fan.

After learning that the game on the day of the concert would be a KT-Hanwha matchup, Shin Ji said, "I didn't know it was a game against Hanwha. I guess I can't even be there in a Hanwha uniform." The video included a caption reading, "We'll wait for you to throw the first pitch for Hanwha."

As the video spread, some KT Wiz fans criticized Shin Ji for turning down the first pitch. Others defended her, arguing that declining to throw the first pitch at a rival team's home game was actually a considerate gesture toward the home fans.

J-Star apologized, saying the video had been uploaded without sufficient context, unintentionally causing misunderstanding and discomfort among KT Wiz fans.

The agency also deleted the video.