Three members of boy group Exo file complaints with antitrust regulator over ‘slave contracts’

SEOUL — K-pop boy band Exo members Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have filed a complaint with Korea’s Fair Trade Commission over their so-called “slave contracts,” their lawyers said. on Monday.

The trio, who are also part of the subgroup Exo-CBX, made the news last Thursday when they informed their longtime management agency, SM Entertainment, of their decision to terminate their contracts and leave the eight-piece group. member.

They had a dispute over the length of the contract, which was too long, lasting up to 18 years and was accused of a lack of transparency in financial matters.

Their lawyer, Mr. Lee Jae-hak from Seoul-based law firm Lin, said in a press release that the three members are asking the authorities to intervene in the “abuse of position”. dominate the company’s business,” according to Yonhap. News agency reporting carried out in The Korea Herald.

The complaint also calls into question the relatively long contract terms for artists of the K-pop powerhouse compared to artists managed by other management agencies.

“If the minimum number of albums (specified in the contract) are not released, the contract period will automatically extend until the requirements are met and there is no specific upper limit on the length,” it said. speak. “This is clearly a slave contract.”

Following the dispute, SM Entertainment agreed to conditionally provide copies of the trio’s financial documents. However, it refused to accept their request to terminate the contract.

“We want to make it clear that a contract should not be terminated with just a unilateral notice,” it said in a statement, adding that all parties are in discussions to prevent disruption to the band’s upcoming activities.

The trio, who debuted in the boy band in 2012, said in a June 1 statement: “We feel apprehensive and discouraged about taking this first small step towards talking about treatment. injustice (we have faced) until now. Please recognize the courage we used (to do this).”