EXO’s comeback MV filming postponed due to Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin suing SM Entertainment? Agency responds

On June 1, EXO's Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin informed their agency SM Entertainment that they wanted to terminate their exclusive contracts. This was on the grounds that the benefit settlement process was hazy since their debut in 2012, and they had to sign long-haul restrictive agreements. "It is an act of depravity by external forces targeting artists with false information," SM said of this situation. 

EXO’s comeback: 

Fans were excited as the group said that they would be making their group comeback this year but soon it seemed like the entire group would not be making a comeback since Kai had to suddenly enlist for his mandatory military service. With the recent turn of events regarding Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin’s contract termination with SM Entertainment, it has been reported that the filming for the comeback music video has been postponed. It was supposed to begin on June 2 but because of the current situation, it's been reported that the filming has been halted. Regarding this, an official from SM Entertainment said that the 7 members will be a part of the comeback and the filming will begin as planned.

SM Entertainment’s second statement: 

After the news of the contract termination came to light, SM Entertainment talked about how ‘external forces’ were swaying the artists’ opinions and could also be poaching them from their companies. In the second statement, they went into the details, refuting claims made by EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin. They said that for many years, all artists have received their payments under the assumption that a record of earnings and balances can be requested at any time without difficulty. Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen decided to renew the contracts without any pressure during the season for members' contract renewals while engaging in fair negotiations on an equal footing between the artist and the agency. During the time that was allotted for the renewal discussion, there was no mention of payments or earnings. Even though artists have the right to look at their earnings and balances at any time, the fact that they specifically asked for copies of the balance documents suggested that outside forces might be at work. They also asked for evidence to show that they didn't sign multiple exclusive contracts, which would have violated their previous exclusive contracts. 

SM's ending statement:

They went on to say that groups like Girls Generation and f(x) had members who went on and signed with different agencies but still maintained a good relationship with SM Entertainment. These EXO members were also given the freedom to hire legal representatives to check the contract during the renewal process. They ended the statement by saying that their ultimate goal is to protect their artists and consequently protect the fans as well. 

ALSO READ: EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin: SM Entertainment sends legal notice to BPM Ent. and MC Mong for poaching artists

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