Previously, it was reported EXO members Baekhyun (백현), Chen (첸), and Xiumin (시우민) were planning to sue their record label SM Entertainment for overdue payment and unreasonable contracts. According to a representative of the three idols, who are also a part of the subunit EXO-CBX (엑소-첸백시), an exclusive contract termination notice has been delivered to the agency.
EXO-Ls (fans of EXO) have all shown their support for the idol group as they also believe that the label has not been transparent with them regarding certain matters. However, there’s apparently a new twist to the story after someone who claimed to be an employee of the entertainment company accused the members of lying about the mistreatment.
Recently, an SM Entertainment employee posted their opinion about the recent EXO-CBX departure drama on the BLIND app, a platform where verified employees can write about their companies anonymously. The post titled “Second Statement? The Way They Talk Is Really Offending Me” quickly went viral as they heavily criticised the EXO group members.
In the lengthy post, the employee started off by criticising the idols’ request to see a transparent settlement report, claiming that those documents are classified. “The company’s accounting documents are the company’s secrets, so how are we supposed to give them to freelancers and contracted employees (artists)? We even made an artist-only space for you to come to inquire and look over the document,” they wrote.
In response to the allegations that the artists were forced to sign a 17-18 years contract, the writer claimed that it was the artists themselves who consented to sign the contract saying, “You guys are adults who are able to think, decide, and take accountability for your actions, so it seems to bewilder you that we brought up a third party, but it bewilders me even more that you guys fought for favorable splits in your second contract and now are acting as if you guys were rookies and were scared not to sign. You guys have been top stars for so long”.
The anonymous employee also challenged EXO-CBX’s previous statement that they were being mistreated, claiming that the label had done nothing but provide the best for their artists. They also claimed that SM staff members had to walk on eggshells every time they were around EXO in fear that they might offend the idols. Not only that, the employee also alleged that the motive behind the group’s departure is because of money.
“Fans, the reason why your ‘oppas’ want to leave so badly is because of money. So that if they are kicked out of EXO, they can say, ‘Aww, we wanted to stay in EXO but the label didn’t let us’. It’s so transparent that they are doing this for money without any accountability,” the staff wrote.
The unnamed SM employee ended the post by claiming that the reason why SM artists have large expenses is due to the services they asked for from the agency and that they’ve done everything they can to accommodate the artists’ needs. At the time of writing, SM Entertainment has yet to verify these allegations and EXO-CBX has yet to respond to them.
Amidst the whole controversy, EXO-Ls continued to show support for the members by sending several protest trucks outside of the SM building. Many are convinced that the company is trying to divide fans by painting the idols as the villain of the story. Guess only time will tell how this tale will end.
