Is EXO Going To Lose Yet Another Member In Five Short Months?
History repeats itself as EXO's Luhan has reportedly filed a contract nullification lawsuit against SM Entertainment.
By Samantha Khor — 10 Oct 2014, 11:17 AM — Updated over 9 years ago
Remaining Chinese Members Of EXO-M Might Also Leave To Form Their Own Group
Following Kris and Luhan's lawsuit with SM Entertainment, there is now a rumor spreading that the remaining two Chinese members of EXO-M - Lay and Tao - will follow suit, sign on with Chinese entertainment agency Hwai Brothers, rebrand, and form a new boy group to promote in their home country.
allkpop.com
Meanwhile, Luhan's Reasons For Filing The Lawsuit Against SM Enterteinment Have Reportedly Come To Light:
After initially breaking the news of Luhan's exit from EXO, Chinese online media site Sina followed up with a report revealing the reasons Luhan has filed termination for his contract with SM Entertainment.
koreaboo.com
1. SME Was Not Able To Outline Solid Future Development Plans For Luhan And EXO-M
Luhan reportedly expressed concern that while the group has gained popularity throughout the years since their debut, there is no solid plan laid for their progress and growth. The artist is reported to have revealed, “It is a working environment where it feels like [we are] robots in a factory.”
koreaboo.com
2. Discrimination Between Korean And Chinese Members Of EXO, Particularly In Terms Of Treatment And Career Opportunities
In terms of individual opportunities in Korea, there is an obvious discrimination towards the different nationalities. It is also highlightable that when EXO promotes on shows, the Korean members get a significantly longer screen time than their Chinese counterparts.
While Luhan has received requests for acting and advertising opportunities, none of them lead to successful negotiations. Between 2012 - 2013, EXO-K had over 5 endorsement projects, but EXO-M did not nearly have the same.
koreaboo.com
3. Unreasonable Allocation Of Resources And Scheduling. SME Reportedly Coordinates Schedules For Artistes Without Consulting With Them For Their Opinion Or Considering Their Personal Situations.
According to reports, SM Entertainment coordinates schedules for artists without consulting with them for their opinion, or considering their personal situations. Instead, the company notifies the artists after the schedules have been placed. When Luhan requested for a leave, the company would reject the request and respond that activities have already been set and that he must follow the schedule.
koreaboo.com
4. Luhan Has Been Experiencing Health Issues And Extreme Stress Due To Over-Exhaustion
Luhan has been long reported to not be feeling well due to fatigue, having symptoms of waking up in the middle of the night, an uncomfortable feeling in his chest and persistent headaches. There were also serious times when he experienced difficulty in breathing.
koreaboo.com
Barely Five Months After Kris' Exit From The Group, Looks Like EXO Might Be Losing Another Member, As Luhan Has Reportedly Filed A Lawsuit Against SM Entertainment To Nullify His Contract
According to the Seoul Central District Court on October 10, Luhan filed for the nullification of his exclusive contract with SME on this day at around 9 a.m. (KST).
soompi.com
Luhan is reportedly seeking to verify the invalidity of his contract. If the court determines the ineffectiveness of the contract between the EXO member and SME, it will result in the contract not having existed at all from the beginning.
soompi.com
SME Later Issued A Statement, Stating That They "Only Found Out About Luhan’s Decision Today Through The Law Firm.”
They continued, “We are confused by his sudden request for the termination of the contract as we had previously discussed his health problems and him wanting to focus on solo and Chinese promotions.”
msn.comThey added, “As with Kris, we were not given any warning or reason before the lawsuit was filed. It has become a pattern where we have members joining and promoting with their respective groups and gaining popularity and fans, followed by questioning the validity of their contracts and plan for their withdrawals with the help of behind-the-scenes influences.”
msn.comSpeculations Were Already Spreading Due To Luhan's Absence From Recent Concerts in Bangkok And Thailand In September And The SMTown Live Tokyo Concert Earlier This Month.
Luhan last performed with the group in a concert in Bejing, China on 21 September 2014.
Ex-Member Kris Wu Started The Exact Same Lawsuit Against SME In May 2014, And Has Since Moved On To Build Up His Career In China
In Kris’ lawsuit, he claimed that his label never considered or respected his opinion and health when scheduling for the group’s promotional activities in South Korea and China.
hellokpop.com
“The company has treated me like a machine part or as an object of control rather than presenting a vision as an entertainer,” the 24-year-old singer was quoted as saying.
hellokpop.com
Why This Is A Big Deal: Luhan Is A Lead Vocalist And Main Dancer For EXO's Chinese Subgroup, EXO-M
Luhan has also set a new social media world record for most comments on a Weibo post. The singer’s football-themed post, originally published on 10 September 2012, had achieved 13,163,859 comments as of 5 August 2014.
guinnessworldrecords.com
Meanwhile, Fellow EXO-M Member Lay Has Posted A Supportive Message Thought To Be Meant For Luhan
"Brother, goodbye. If we have the chance, let’s share a stage together again. As a brother, I support your every decision, good luck."
koreaboo.com
Fans Have Also Taken To The Social Media Express Their Feelings And Offer Support To Luhan
As of press time, #alwayssupportluhan is trending worldwide in the top spot on Twitter.
I remembered how happy I am while watching EXOST Now, I just want to cry over and over again. This fandom is just..<|3 #alwayssupportluhan
— jan antonette (@justsehunxx) October 10, 2014
#alwayssupportluhan Wherever he goes I wish him the best!
— 鹿훈 (@SehunfeatLuhan) October 10, 2014
Although he's sick he stood For his fans he tried his best He gave his all & as a fan FOREVER #alwayssupportluhan pic.twitter.com/SRSGLPZbtP
— ♡ (@RNJR_95) October 10, 2014
Making Waves Since Its Debut In 2011, EXO Has The Honour Of Being The Youngest Boy Band To Win Album Of The Year At The Mnet Asian Music Awards 2013 With Their First Studio Album, XOXO
EXO comprises 12 members separated into two subgroups, EXO-K and EXO-M, performing music in Korean and Mandarin, respectively. EXO-K comprises Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O, Kai and Sehun. EXO-M comprises Kris, Xiumin, Lu Han, Lay, Chen and Tao.
With XOXO, EXO also became the fastest-selling K-pop artist in twelve years. The lead singles off XOXO, "Wolf" and "Growl," were hits, landing first place trophies on music shows from all three of Korea's major free-to-air broadcast stations.The latter also peaked at number three on Billboard's Korea K-Pop Hot 100 chart.
Luhan's Potential Exit Adds To A Long List Of Troubles Plaguing SME This Year, Including Jessica's Exit From Girls' Generation Just Recently
