EXO members Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have filed antitrust complaints against longtime label and K-pop agency SM Entertainment.
The trio’s attorney Lee Jae-hak, from the Seoul-based law firm Lin, announced in a statement today (June 5) that the three EXO members have lodged a complaint with South Korea’s antitrust regulator over SM Entertainment’s “unfair” contract terms, per Yonhap News Agency.
“On behalf of my clients, I submitted a complaint to the Fair Trade Commission against SM Entertainment yesterday,” Lee said in a press release. He added that they are seeking the authorities’ intervention in “the company’s act of abusing its dominant position in business”.
According to Yonhap, Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen’s complaint addresses issues such as the duration of SM Entertainment contracts, as compared to those from other K-pop agencies, and how the company establishes the starting point for exclusive contracts.
The complaint by the three EXO members comes just days after Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen notified SM Entertainment through their lawyer Lee that they would be terminating their contracts with the agency, citing “mistreatment and unfair contract terms”.
SM Entertainment later refuted claims made by the trio on various issues. These included the provision of payment data to the K-pop idols and the entertainment agency allegedly using its “power” in order to extend the contacts of Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen.
Meanwhile Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have stated their intentions to continue being members of EXO, despite their ongoing dispute with SM Entertainment over their contracts. “However this legal battle concludes, we will faithfully and diligently continue our group activities under the band EXO,” the trio said.