EXO’s Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen in dispute with SM over contract issue

EXO members Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have notified their agency, SM Entertainment, that they are terminating their exclusive contracts with the agency, their lawyer said Thursday, a move that is likely to cause a stir in the K-pop scene.

Attorney Lee Jae-hak of the law firm Lin, representing the three artists, said they have recently sent the notification, citing the agency’s attempt to force them to extend their already long-term contracts spanning 12 to 13 years.

“This constitutes a highly unfair abuse of power by SM toward its artists,” they claimed through the lawyer.

They noted the 12-13-year period is longer than the standard seven-year contract recommended by the government and thus goes against the artists.

Under the standard contract, artists have the right to terminate the contract if seven years have passed.

“Most of the other artists managed by SM are facing a similar situation as far as long-term contracts are concerned,” they said, adding that they are seriously considering taking the case to the Fair Trade Commission.

They asserted that the agency has never provided them with papers on how their payment has been calculated during the long contract period and refused to do so even after they requested seven times this year.

While apologizing to their fans for causing concern, the three also vowed to make every effort to find a wise solution and resolve the dispute.

SM instantly issued a statement claiming that there are “outside forces” enticing the singers to ignore their contracts with their agency and sign a double contract with a new one.

The agency vowed to take all possible legal measures against their “illegal acts.”

EXO originally debuted as a 12-member group in 2012 under SM Entertainment and has since enjoyed Asianwide popularity with such hit songs as “Wolf” and “Growl.” But it was reduced to be a nine-piece group following the departure of three Chinese members — Luhan, Kris and Tao.

The group’s last remaining Chinese member Lay terminated his contract with SM in April last year.

EXO has been preparing to drop a new album involving all its current members this year. The plan, however, became unclear with the three more members’ alleged termination of their contracts with the agency.