Veteran boy band SHINee member Taemin's agency denied the singer started a clothing brand, after speculation of him doing so began circulating on the internet on Thursday.

“The rumors of Taemin launching a clothing brand that are circulating in online communities is false,” the singer’s agency Big Planet Made said Friday in a statement.

The singer was the first to address the rumors with an Instagram story on Thursday. “I am not starting a clothing brand,” Taemin posted. “It was made purely as a gift to express gratitude. I'm sorry for causing any misunderstanding.”

The rumors began circulating when Taemin handed out custom designed T-shirts to fans at Informal Square at Seongdong District in eastern Seoul on Thursday. Taemin was holding an exhibit to celebrate the release of his new album, “Eternal,” on Monday at the exhibition venue.

As part of the exhibit, Taemin randomly selects nine people each day and gives them T-shirts. One fan who was selected stated that they took pictures of a QR code in the packaging of the T-shirt, which led to a website called “TAEM107.”

The website displayed the prices of the clothing and also had a KakaoTalk Plus Friend account, fueling speculations of Taemin starting a clothing brand. Some of the prices reached 160,000 won ($119.48), according to local media reports.

“The manufacturers of the T-shirts mistakenly uploaded Taemin’s clothes in place of another clothing line,” said the agency. “They have apologized to us, ensuring us that it won’t happen again.”

Taemin’s fifth EP “Eternal” was released on Monday, approximately 10 months after Taemin’s fourth EP, “Guilty" (2023). "Eternal" came just four days after the 10th anniversary of the SHINee member’s debut as a soloist. The EP is Taemin’s first album since joining Big Planet Made for his solo activities on April 1.

To find out more about Taemin, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]