EXO's Suho, who became a 'shoplifter', sparks a 'scam controversy'

EXO Suho was pointed out as a shoe thief. Celebrity stylist A reported that there was a celebrity who took shoes and did not return them. The story spread that the identity of the culprit was Su-ho. Suho's agency, SM Entertainment, announced a strong legal response to the rumor.

SM stated its position on the 24th, saying, "The post that is currently being circulated online assuming that it is Suho is completely unfounded, is clearly false, and has nothing to do with Suho."

The story begins with Mr. A’s claim. Mr. A said on his SNS, "Send everything without missing a single item. I wonder why you don't give it to me. I bought it with your own money and wear it," and added, "I've been organizing it for the past few days, but I've taken a lot of it."

He then shared a list of sneakers, saying, "It's been 6 months. When are you giving it to me? I don't like people posting like this on Instagram, so please sort it out before revealing my real name." In addition, Mr. A reported that he had not received about 300 pairs back.

Mr. A was known to be Suho's stylist in the past. There was also evidence that the shoes shared by Mr. A had been worn by Suho. Naturally, it seems that the opinion was narrowed down to Suho being the ‘shoe thief’. SM drew a line at the untimely ‘scam controversy’.

SM announced a 'strong response' against the first person to spread rumors. We moved quickly, but the timing was not good.

Currently, SM, where Suho belongs, is in turmoil internally due to a management dispute. Amid the chaotic internal situation, the agency's representative artist's verbal abuse became grounds for creating a negative image. Also, it is not a good scenario for the group EXO's actions.

EXO member Baekhyun was recently discharged from the military. EXO has been focusing on individual activities for the past few years. However, this year marks the resumption of ‘group activities’ along with Baekhyun’s discharge. Even within SM, EXO's activities as a group are important tasks at the company level.

An SM official said, "Now that Baekhyun has been discharged from the military, the foundation has been laid for EXO's activities to begin as a whole. SM will do its best to prepare for EXO's activities."

Now is the time to warm up before the comeback. Frequent controversies within and outside of EXO are just a distraction. Here, the eldest brother was pointed out as a ‘shoe thief’ and became the center of controversy.

Rumors are unfortunate for celebrities, but they are inevitable. This is because as much as it receives people's attention, unintentional rumors also follow. However, the timing of this rumor is unfortunate. It appears that EXO's fortunes have been resolved this year ahead of their full-length comeback.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr