EXO member Kris is sending shockwaves with the news that he filed a suit to terminate his contract with SM Entertainment.
In charge of Kris′ case, Hankyul Lawfirm spoke with enews on May 15, saying, "We have filed a suit with the district court to terminate his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment over contractual terms."
"The documents have been submitted to the court and we′re preparing for the lawsuit."
EXO made a huge hit with its song Growl in 2013. The group recently released its new mini album Overdose and were carrying out promotions.
However, with its exclusive concert ahead from May 23 to 25, Kris requested for his contract to be terminated.
SM stated, "We′re very caught off guard. We′ll do our best for EXO′s promotions to continue running smoothly."
"We will not be doing any more interviews with the press or revealing the details of the lawsuit," said Hankyul Lawfirm. "We will settle this quietly."
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21.05.2014 в 12:50-
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21.05.2014 в 13:01-
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23.05.2014 в 11:37K-Pop World Abuzz After EXO Lawsuit
The ambitions of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment Co. in the lucrative Chinese market have hit an unexpected challenge: a legal move by one of the Chinese members of its hugely popular boy band EXO to bail out.
EXO, known for songs like “Growl,” in which the twelve-member group mimics a pack of wolves, consists of two subgroups: six Korean and six Chinese or Chinese-speaking Korean singers. The latter was created specifically to target China, with the sextet releasing songs in Mandarin and labeled EXO-M accordingly (the Korea-focused group are EXO-K).
In a development that has become the buzz of the K-Pop world, one of the Chinese members of EXO-M known as Kris filed a lawsuit earlier this month in a bid to nullify his contract with SM. A spokesman for the Korean law firm representing the singer declined to comment on the details of the case, while a spokeswoman for SM said the company is “taken aback” and currently in the midst of verifying the facts.
A day after Kris filed the suit, he wrote a short memo on his Weibo microblog account starting with a Chinese saying that refers to a situation where someone weak puts up a fight against someone much more powerful, according to local media reports. “I’m fine. I wish everyone a blessing and for you to be well. I thank everyone that supports me and such opinions. (I) will always be here,” the singer wrote, according Korean daily Hankook Ilbo.
SM said the group will perform with all the other members in concerts scheduled for later this month in South Korea.
“Currently, eleven members are doing their best for a high quality performance and we promise you a great show that will live up to expectations,” a statement uploaded on the group’s website said.
The highest profile legal dispute by a K-Pop group—also formerly with SM Entertainment—involved the group TVXQ. They started out as a five person boyband but are now down to just two after three of the members left the label to form a new group.
Some industry observers say K-pop labels prefer groups with large numbers of singers to reduce the risk of a break-up if one or two members leave. SM is well-known in Asia as the label for girl band Girls’ Generation, which has nine members.