“We are deeply sorry”: EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin release a statement to fans about their legal dispute with SM Entertainment

EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin’s lawyer Lee Jae-hak released a detailed statement on behalf of the veteran K-pop idols on June 1, 2023. The statement explained their allegations and accusations against SM Entertainment. They added a point for their fans and apologized for causing them concern in the same statement.

The trio, also known as EXO-CBX, shared that they were “very scared and in fear” but will choose a path of settlement that doesn’t cause fans more worry. The part addressed to fans read as follows:

“We apologize to the fans for causing concern, we are deeply sorry. Although we are currently in a legal dispute with SM, we will choose a gracious path to settle our differences so as not to create concerns for fans. We are currently, at this moment, very scared and in fear, but we have decided to raise our small voices about the mistreatment we have received.”

It added:

“We hope that you will be interested in our story and our struggling courage. We would like to sincerely thank our fans who have supported us for so long. Thank you so much.” (translation via Koreaboo)

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Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin of EXO announce the termination of their contracts with detailed claims of unfair treatment at the hands of SM Entertainment

On June 1, 2023, EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin (aka EXO-CBX) shocked the K-pop industry by directly announcing a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, the company they debuted under a decade ago in 2012. The news especially was a surprise for their fandom, who had already gone through several ups and downs from the start of 2023.

Another blow to the fandom was the trio’s announcement of mistreatment regarding pay and unreasonable contracts by SM Entertainment. In a lengthy statement on behalf of Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin, lawyer Lee Jae-hak claimed that SM Entertainment was abusing its powers by not being transparent in its accounting and going so far as to make the artists sign contracts that exceed 17 years.

Lawyer Lee also claimed that the non-transparent accounting might not only be for EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin, but also for other SM artists. He also referred to the Fair Trade Commission’s standard exclusive contract for singer-centered pop culture artists and claimed that the agency was attempting to break it.

Lawyer Lee added a message for fans on behalf of the trio near the end of the statement, reiterating that the trio mustered the fortitude to take a position.

Twitter user @XiuHun_pics translated and summarized the detailed statement by the trio in English. Read it below:

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Meanwhile, the contract termination announcement came on the heels of the Growl singers' already perplexed fandom. SM Entertainment and Suho earlier mentioned that they will make a full group comeback this year. Their last full group album release was in 2019. Fans were ecstatic hearing the news but it didn’t last long as SM Entertainment suddenly announced the news of Kai’s enlistment.

The lawsuit between EXO and SM Entertainment has also given rise to speculations about the seven-member group's comeback. Amidst reports of their music video being postponed, the agency told OSEN, a local South Korean news outlet, that the filming of the music video will continue as scheduled.