Exclusive contract up to 17-18 years
Three members of the famous K-pop group EXO, including Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen, have caused a stir in the Kpop entertainment industry when they announced that they will sue the management company SM Entertainment to terminate the exclusive contract.
According to a report by news agency Yonhap News, the members have asked the company for full transparency about the members' activities and revenue since March, but SM refused to provide them.
Three members of EXO Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen sue SM management company
In the notice sent to fans, the 3 male idols said that the group wanted to settle it peacefully so as not to cause concern to fans. The members themselves were also very scared, but still decided to speak up because they were being abused.
One of the grievances raised by Chen, Xiumin and Baekhyun's representatives related to the exclusive contract the group signed with SM. In it, the artists said that they initially signed a contract lasting 12-13 years, much longer than the 7 standards set by the Korean Fair Trade Commission.
However, SM let the artists sign the contract extension in advance, bringing the total number of years under the contract to at least 17-18 years.
However, SM Entertainment firmly denied the allegations that the company did not provide accounting records for many years, claiming that the members had not made any requests in the past time. Even SM said that the 3 members of EXO heard outsiders instigated, influenced by outside forces, forced the idols to leave.
On June 2, the idols' lawyer revealed that the 6 members wanted to stay in EXO despite leaving SM Entertainment, "We are looking for a way for the artists to stay in EXO despite the end of their contracts. Even before the termination of the contract, during negotiations with SM, the idols offered to cooperate, allowing them to participate in EXO activities."
A series of artists were once put on the "black list" after a legal dispute
Three members of JYJ were "banned" from Korean entertainment programs for a long time
According to Koreaboo, the case of 3 members of EXO is making fans worry about the future of future idols. This worry is based on the fact that they are not the first artists to have contract problems with SM.
Previously, a series of artists who had left SM also made similar accusations about the so-called "slave contract" contract with this entertainment company. Among them, there are artists such as former DBSK members Jaejoong, Junsu, Yoochun; former Super Junior member Han Geng; former Girls' Generation member Jessica Jung; former EXO members Lu Han and Tao.
In particular, the case that caused the biggest shock in the Korean entertainment industry was in 2009, 3 members of DBSK including Jaejoong, Yoonchun and Junsu filed a lawsuit against SM. The members think that the 13-year contract is really too long and the group's remuneration is too little compared to the effort they put in. The Seoul Central District Court gave the final verdict in favor of Jaejoong, Junsu and Yoochun.
The legal battle of the two sides ended, 2 idols left SM, forming a new group called JYJ. But from here, they have to face a new "fate" when they are suppressed by SM's influence. All 3 were put on the "black list" of Korean broadcasters.
For a long time, 3 members of JYJ were banned from appearing on Korean entertainment programs. The group has to find new ways of working, promoting in Japan, participating in movies to appear on television...
In 2015, the Korean Communications Standards Commission (NCSC) passed a law called "JYJ Law", stemming from the fact that the group JYJ was pressured by the former management company SM when participating in performances. JYJ Law prevents acts of obstructing or forcing artists to appear on television for improper reasons.
Even so, even if the JYJ Law is passed, the “black list” will continue to exist. In 2018, Junsu burst into tears during his show, confessing that he felt unlike his idol because he hadn't appeared on television for so long. The male singer was disappointed that he could not compete fairly with his colleagues due to his lack of TV appearances. He couldn't sing his songs on music shows, not even once.
Nearly 10 years since the lawsuit, in 2019, Jaejoong made his first official appearance on the TV show Taste Of Dating 2.
Not only JYJ, the former member of Girl's Generation, Jessica Jung, since separating from the group in 2014 has also "disappeared" on Korean television. She changed direction and actively promoted in the US market. Jessica also published a novel titled "Shine".
Jessica Jung after leaving Girl's Generation also has to actively promote in the US market
Jessica introduced, the novel is written "based on experience". The novel is about a young Korean-American who wants to join the K-pop entertainment industry.
In a novel, the main character asks a female idol working in the industry about the length of her contract with the entertainment agency DB Entertainment (fictional).
The response was a bitter explanation that, DB took complete control of her career, even forcing her and the group members to sign a contract extension, bringing the total number of years of the original contract up. These details are said to completely coincide with the case of 3 EXO members.
