Three members of EXO, Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin, have escalated their legal feud with SM Entertainment by filing a criminal complaint against two of the company’s top executives. The trio, known for being in the EXO-CBX sub-unit, has accused SM’s Chief A&R Officer, Lee Sung-soo, and co-CEO, Tak Young-jun, of fraud. The legal issue first arose in 2023, with the idols suing the company.
EXO's Baekhyun, Chen and Xiumin have filed an official lawsuit to terminate their contracts with SM Entertainment. pic.twitter.com/P5e0lbeuzx
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 1, 2023
This new financial conflict comes a year after the three EXO members sought to terminate their exclusive contracts due to discrepancies in their provided accounting data. However, a temporary resolution was reached, and the group released their 7th album “EXIST.” This time, it looks like the legal issues were far from resolved.
SM Entertainment announces they will take legal action against EXO's Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen. pic.twitter.com/sHHtCiyggF
— About Music (@AboutMusicYT) June 10, 2024
Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin now argue that SM Entertainment has “unfairly” taken a 10 percent revenue cut for their solo activities outside the company. In response, the agency has denied the accusations and affirmed all parties accepted the agreement last year. The company said they would also take legal action against the members.
