For months, fans of EXO have been stuck in a long debate on whether or not Tao has officially left the group, especially after he returned to China for his solo debut.
And now, it is officially confirmed that the Chinese member is leaving EXO as he has started the official legal process to quit the group and his talent agency SM Entertainment.
According to Korean media outlet Kookmin Ilbo, Tao has pressed legal charges against SM Entertainment to contest his exclusive contract with the Korean entertainment powerhouse. He submitted the lawsuit to the Seoul Central District Court on 24th August through his legal rep.
He is said to be using the same legal team that is currently representing Luhan and Kris, who were also former members of EXO.
Chinese media outlet Sina provided the lawsuit evidences by disclosing exclusive photos of the lawsuit paperwork. Take a look at them in the gallery below:
In response to the report, SM Entertainment has released an official statement to TV Report, one of the most credible Korean new sources.
The full statement is as follows:
Our company plans to use everything in our power including both Korean and Chinese legal professionals and partners to respond legally both in Korea and China in a multi-faceted manner. We also plan to take legal steps to respond to Tao’s illegal promotions and actions.
That’s all the details that we have for now but we’ll keep updating this post with more information as soon as we have ’em. Hang in there, peeps!
