Conflicts between EXO's Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin, who are called 'Chenbaekshi', and SM Entertainment due to exclusive contract issues are intensifying. Chenbaxi is arguing that the excessively long contract period is unfair, and SM is defending that it has fulfilled the contract.
EXO's Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen reported their agency SM to the Fair Trade Commission (hereinafter 'Fair Trade Commission') for unfair trade practices. On the 5th, Lin, the legal representative of the three, said, "We have filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission about SM's 'abuse of position in trade'." "We reported that despite the fact that the Fair Trade Commission issued corrective orders against SM twice, in October 2007 and January 2011, SM was openly engaging in unfair contractual practices in ignoring the corrective orders." said. They also informed, "We requested a strict investigation into SM's violations and prompt corrective measures to correct them, and furthermore, we requested a complete investigation into the exclusive contracts of celebrities belonging to SM."
SM has taken a refutation position in this regard. SM explained, "Many parts of the artist's press release are not true. And it was clearly revealed that the artist's intention, which triggered this incident, was an act aimed at denying the validity of the new exclusive contract." "The period of the exclusive contract that the artist side will take issue with the Fair Trade Commission is a contract condition that the company has already recognized as legitimate by the Supreme Court in 2018." In addition, "The Supreme Court judged that the period of our exclusive contract cannot be regarded as excessively long, as it requires full support and effort from the agency in the process of casting, training, and production of new artists, and in fact requires a lot of investment. "claimed.
SM emphasized that there was no compulsion at the time of contract renewal with Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin. SM said, “EXO members, including the three artists, signed new exclusive contracts after sufficient discussions with us with the help of a lawyer from a large law firm, in a situation where they were not forced to renew contracts ahead of the expiration of their existing contracts. EXO members Our company reviewed and counter-proposals were made on the various conditions suggested by them, and during the last month of negotiations, we exchanged amendments with each other and discussed every detail,” he said.
While the positions of the two sides are tightly confronted, attention is focused on whether an amicable agreement can be reached. EXO is scheduled to make a comeback in July. Chenbaeksi recently took part in the filming of the music video, showing his determination to ensure that EXO's activities are not hindered.
Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr