Baekhyun, Chen and Xiumin have terminated their contracts
Three members of K-Pop group EXO, namely Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin, have decided to speak out about the alleged “unfair treatment” by SM Entertainment.
SM Entertainment is the South Korean agency that formed EXO back in 2011.
RELATED: EXO’s Kai Turns Emotional Over Start Of Military Service
On June 1, the members chose to end their exclusive contract with “SM Ent,” stating they were forced to sign supposed “slave” contracts and that they weren’t being paid as they should be.
The trio’s attorneys stated that a lawsuit would be filed against SM Entertainment over the payments supposedly withheld.
In a message, the three members say they are “scared and daunted” by their “first small step to talk about the unfair treatment.”
They expressed gratitude to the fans who’ve supported them, simultaneously asking for recognition of “the courage it has taken” to do it.
This happens a few months after EXO celebrated its 11th anniversary in April 2023. Fans of the South Korean-Chinese boy band-the EXO-Ls-even celebrated this milestone with flair.
Legal Action
Atty. Lee Jae-hak, the artists’ representative, put out a statement claiming proper documentation and settlement records over the last decade were not provided by SM Entertainment.
His first request, he pointed out, was back in March. According to the Korea Herald, it reads, in part: “If SM had reimbursed [Chen, Xiumin, and Baekhyun] correctly, then there would be no reason at all [not to] send the requested documents. … If other artists under [SM agency] have also not received their payment details … this problem is not limited to only these three.”
More claims from the lawyers of the three members include SM “committing tyrannical acts” by forcing them to sign what they say are “slave” contracts.
SM has since refuted this statement, promising legal action of their own against “outside forces … luring the artists to breach the valid exclusive contracts … using them to get through to other artists to also violate the contract terms …”
Banner Image Paulo Correa
