May 17, 2014
Probably the biggest thing going on in the K-pop scene recently: EXO's Kris is suing SM. EXO's Chinese group's very own leader, Kris, has filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court to terminate his contract with SM Entertainment. This news hit everyone, including myself without notice and up till now, many fans are still in denial of what happened. News on the lawsuit first broke out on China's Sina around 9am on 15th May and speculations were made, with most blaming it onto Sina for confusing Kris with a China artiste Chris.
However, later in the afternoon, Korean news sites TV Daily soon chimed in with a response from SM, confirming that Kris had indeed legally filed for contract release. Other news sites such as Korea Herald, Nate, TV Report, and Daum followed suit with similar announcements. Details as to when the lawsuit was first filed, what the lawsuit demands are, and Kris’s reasons behind it, however remained unknown to public. Hankyul Law Firm has released a statement that affirms their representation of Kris. Fun fact, Hankyul Law Firm is the exact same law firm that handled Hangeng's lawsuit.
SM seems to be caught off guard as reps responded to be unaware of the lawsuit and are surprised to find out about it. The exact reasons behind the filing of the lawsuit is still unknown (there has been claims of Kris having 'myocarditis' when he eats the food that SM Entertainment gives, which, for people uneducated in medical terminology, this basically means inflammation of the heart muscles) , however fans and various news websites are speculating that this is about SM's slave contract again. Kris, has had financial difficulties despite his tremendous workload because SM Entertainment exploited him financially, according to sources close to him on Thursday.
“SM (Entertainment) controlled him like a pawn or a control-target rather than offering him opportunities as a celebrity,”an undisclosed source supposedly close to Kris told Yonhap News.
I am EXO member Tao. The things said on Weibo and Instagram are by me. I have nothing to hide.
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then going along and saying later that his phone was not taken up when EXO fans have said that Tao in fact possesses an iPhone however, the post was made by an Android phone."Thank you for this big award. Thank you to all of those who love us. It's the day of the mentor today so I'd like to thank Lee Soo Man. We won't forget your kindness. The EXO members genuinely apologize. Our team slogan is 'we are one' and so like our slogan, we promise to become an EXO that belongs not to the individual but to ourselves and one that thinks of our fans. We will work hard. We are one. EXO, I love you."
And also talked to Osen saying:
"All the members had a conversation. We don't understand Kris' actions at all. Everyone was caught off-guard and have mixed feelings. I think Kris' actions are irresponsible and show that he's not thinking about EXO at all. Our members and agency have no issues. What Kris needs to do right now is take back the lawsuit and apologize to the members and company."
Even more speculation goes with their words wondering if SM Entertainment is forcing them to say this or not. It can also be noted that EXO's Kai collapsed on stage recently when performing Overdose, adding on to the SM hate.
SM Entertainment has responded to questions about the upcoming concert from May 23rd to 25th and it is set to happen as planned. Tao also confirmed this via his Instagram account, and it seems like Kris will not be joining the rest of EXO for this concert. According to a representative from MBN star, Kris was supposed to arrive at Gimpo Airport today but he cancelled his flight ticket and continue to stay in Beijing, China.
Earlier this week, Kris also posted on his Weibo a picture of his handwritten message which roughly translates to"I made a rash attempt to do what is far beyond my ability. I'm alright, I wish you all the best, and that things will be even better for you guys. Thanks to all of those who support me, thanks for all your voices of support. Wu Yi Fan will always be here!"
As a fervent EXO fan myself, I'm still in absolute shock and I'm surprised to see yet another lawsuit supposedly coming out of the reason of unfair contracts and mistreatment. Hasn't SM Entertainment learnt anything from the past times their idols tried to sue them? This is an upsetting event for every single fan in the EXO fandom and especially for the boys themselves. Nevertheless, I wish all the boys good luck for whatever is to happen in the near future. And to Suho, I just want to say the entire fandom is massively proud of you for keeping it all together on M! Countdown 140515.
A gentle remainder to all: please be cautious and thoughtful of what you post on the members' Instagrams and online, for the sake of Kris and the other members. Please also take whatever you read online, may it be the posts on EXO's Instagrams or Weibo, including this post with a pinch of salt. Nothing other than the fact that he is indeed filing a lawsuit is officially confirmed by SM Entertainment or Kris himself, this is more like a run-down of what is happening. There is nothing confirmed and honestly, the only people who know what is really going on are Kris and SM Entertainment. This is a difficult time, please act responsibly.
And now to you, what are your thoughts and opinions on this lawsuit? Why did he resort to this move despite the upcoming concert and recent comeback? What is going to happen to EXO after this? Leave your comment down below!
Also, vote here to who you think is at fault!
(Herald 1,2), Sina, TV Report, TV Daily, Nate, Daum)
what i find disgusting is how many k-netizens are all like 'this is an act of betrayal!'. i mean, it was mid-promotions but from the looks of it, kris has been planning to gtfo for a while like before, for example, he left for canada and wanted to leave sm but couldnt cause he had no money to terminate the contract. we all know that if kris was korean no one would say that shit and would think it's mostly sm's fault since this is the same with jyj and hangeng. sm just shits on their chinese idols tbh
ReplyDeletek-netizens shitting themselves saying this is an act of betrayal and are picking at chinese fans when in reality, if kris was korean, a bunch less people would think its betrayal.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about this group but don't all SM idols go through the same type of treatment for the most part? If you're under SM you know you're gonna get over worked. That company doesn't play around. If the rest of EXO and other SM idols can stick it out why can't he?? Maybe im missing something
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