The ongoing legal battle is finally over. EXO-CBX members Xiumin, Baekhyun, and Chen have come to an agreement with SM Entertainment. The members of EXO also issued a joint statement with their agency.
EXO-CBX Members and SM Entertainment Issue Joint Statement
SM Entertainment released a joint statement with the three EXO-CBX members. It confirms that the agency and the idols have resolved their differences and agreed to continue forward as EXO with their contracts.
“Recently, the agency and the agency’s artists continued to publicly raise issues with our different stances. Regarding this, the agency and the three artists sincerely apologize for causing concern to the many people who support EXO,” the statement read.
“Afterwards, the agency and three artists had ample time in which we candidly discussed all the issues,” it continued. “Through this, we resolved the differences caused by misunderstandings, and we are pleased to inform you that we have reached a mutually amicable agreement.”
In the statement, it was confirmed that the EXO-CBX members have discussed the contracts thoroughly with the agency. Moreover, they “will carry out a process of mutually equal discussion as well as corrections” and “promised to strengthen our future relationship further.”
SM Apologizes For Third Party Involvement Claims
SM Entertainment also addressed the “third party” misunderstanding.
“The agency initially received a tip-off that a third party was approaching the three artists with unjust intention, and we stated that this was the main cause of the dispute,” the statement read.
“However, through this discussion, we learned that there was a misunderstanding about the involvement of a third party,” it continued. “We would like to take this opportunity to apologize to those involved for causing concern with our announcement.”
Finally, SM Entertainment stated that the incident gave them the chance to “think about the personal concerns of artists.” They also confirmed it would influence “the direction of our agency’s growth following the launch of SM 3.0.”
“Thanks to fans’ support, we would like to plan the future of SM 3.0 that is more developed and mature,” the statement added. “Under the changed and developed new values of SM 3.0, we will further strengthen and solidify mutual cooperation and respect with our artists.”
Earlier this month, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen notified SM Entertainment regarding the termination of their exclusive contracts. The agency responded by claiming that a third party influenced the termination. Since then, both parties have issued statements responding to each other through the EXO-CBX members’ legal representative.
EXO will release their seventh full album EXIST on July 10, 2023.
