HOLY SHIT. I’m seriously speechless right now. What the heck is really is going on at K-pop powerhouse agency SM Entertainment? I mean this less in a rubber necking way and more concerned about whether the company is having a mini-meltdown as I type. That would be awful for the remaining entertainers there trying to keep their head down and just do their jobs. This morning at 10 am Korea time, Luhan of the hit K-pop boyband EXO filed a lawsuit asking to nullify his contract with SME as invalid. Handling his case is the same South Korea law firm of Hankyul which is concurrently handling the contract nullification lawsuit of another EXO member Kris (Wu Yi Fan).
Luhan wanting to leave EXO has been whispered about for months now but devout EXO fans have insisted it was a smear campaign on the part of C-netizens wanting him to stop being a part of EXO and focus his career only in China. He was missing from various EXO activities in the last few weeks and SM has explained it away as Luhan suffering from exhaustion so was resting in Beijing at home. Btw, Kris went MIA a few months before he left EXO and SM also called it as Kris being exhausted and went home to Canada to rest. This shocking development will clearly add fuel on the SM fire that has been burning still due to SNSD kicking now former-member Jessica out two weeks ago. Can’t everyone just get along?
To get this out of the way since K-netizens are sure going apeshit right now and I expect the racism finger to be pointed (again) about how Chinese don’t have the work ethic to cut it and/or are backstabbing ungrateful louts, Luhan is yet another SM entertainer who is Chinese that has filed a lawsuit to leave the agency, same with Kris and also with Han Geng who was formerly a member of Super Junior. Does three make a trend? No, statistically it doesn’t and it especially doesn’t hold up when three Korean entertainers in Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu former of DBSK and now formed JYJ filed lawsuits against SM to leaving the agency.
From what little I know of EXO, it’s split into EXO-K and EXO-M with EXO-M being the Chinese pop market focused sub-group. It’s also the same sub-group that both Kris and Luhan belonged to. EXO started off as a twelve member group but with Kris and now Luhan leaving, it’s down to 10 members with 6 in EXO-K and only 4 left in EXO-M. There are still two Chinese members left in EXO-M with Lay and Tao.
According to the fan gossip, which has turned out to be quite true in this case, Luhan had been in talks with SM regarding his issues (whatever it may be) and repeatedly asked SM to address it. He gave the agency a few deadlines, some of which passed, before he would take matters into his own hands and file the lawsuit. Last week C-netizens claimed he set the deadline as October 8th and lo and behold he filed the lawsuit the morning of the 9th.
Kris and Luhan were apparently very close in EXO and it’s been less than 5 months since Kris filed the lawsuit to leave EXO so netizens will clearly drag his influence back in to try and explain why Luhan is also leaving. Who knows why but he did look majorly exhausted in the last few months whenever his picture popped up in the news. Either he’s overworked and/or emotionally miserable, either way it’s not the best idea for employer or employee to have someone so unhappy to be there stuck being a reluctant K-pop star.
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So the rumor mill was right! Lol! Honestly I gave seen some of his recent pics and he really looks sick and tired, so I wish him all the best and success with the lawsuit.
Something is not right with SM to have had these many lawsuits in a decade.
I really can't take this anymore. This has been too much. It hasn't even been a month since Jessica's departure and now this. We can only take so much. I am in shock. I want to cry. But I also want to scream.
Wow....hope you are ok.
First Kris, then Jessica, now Luhan...
I have reached my limit.
I also want to cry and scream, at the stupid animals running SM.
Well I hope this will actually make SM think about how it treats it's workers.
Seriously, while I don't know much about kpop world, I wouldn't be surprised if the other 2 chinese members leave too eventually. Why stay where it's awful if there is something way better out there and within reach. Doesn't make any sense. So I can understand why they would get out. Besides, it's the nature of the game. So what if they spent a lot in training or whatever, that's a risk a company inherently takes on.
This news honestly makes me wish that Lay and Tao would follow suit. There are rumors of Tao taking a break, too, though I don't know how true it is. As an exo fan, I'm sad to see them go (especially since Kris and Luhan are my favorite) but if they're no longer happy with their relationship with SM, so be it. Good thing Luhan isn't getting as much backlash as Kris did. I hope to see the two of them together soon just to appease my fangirl heart.
That's actually the sad part about Kris. He got all of the backlash while Luhan is getting sympathy. :/
I know. :( When I read the article about Luhan leaving this morning, I immediately thought back to Kris and the whole fiasco a few months back. Him leaving exo was an utter shock to the fans that it generated a lot of negativity, but it also shed some light into the relationship of SM and exo. Which is why I think people are more understanding of Luhan now, thus, less backlash (although the racist remarks are just plain unforgivable). It was like Kris was the sacrificial lamb or something. Or on a more positive perspective, at least he paved the way for his brother to have a smoother ride off the SM train. I feel bad for the other members though, since they have to go through the whole drama again. Plus, I'm sure SM is going to pressure them into keeping their mouths shut (even though it's obvious they already knew Luhan's impending departure) because in the statement SM released, they sounded really pissed off.
Not really. Kris' was possibly because the member didn't even know in the first place, but it seems like Luhan had talked about it, instead of just leaving.
But woah... the news.
LMAO when I saw the headline.
*shakes head at SME*
Yup...our forums already have hundreds of comments on this...basically Luhan has looked wrecked and the reaction is more muted than when Kris left (with Sulli, Jessica, and Luhan afterwards I mean...). However the netizens have indeed trotted out their racism and xenophobia
In times of crisis, we humans like to band together over sameness, and blame everything bad on what is different. I'm sure the reactions from C-netizens would be along the same lines if this was a popular Mandopop group with a few Korean members leaving.
What?! I seriously cnt blieve it! What is going on with sm ent?! What will happen to lay and tao? Im gonna miss luhan and kris!
I think it does make a statistical difference, but even if it does, who cares? It doesn't set a great precedent for picking chinese idols in korean born kpop groups, just because there aren't that many of them in the 1st place and like-it-or-not, the ones that are out there set the tone for the rest. I think koreans who go into the kpop idol world have a better idea of what it entails, but perhaps foreigners just don't quite get it.
Or foreigners have no support system (for example, family, and friends not in the K-ent industry) to help them get through the tough times. The feeling of isolation can be soul crushing.
I think it's also because foreign idols have more leeway to leave though; I mean if you look at JYJ, SM's power has prevented them from making any appearances in public broadcasting, while those who can go back to China at least have a market somewhat out of the reach of SM.
Not surprised at all.
Good luck to Luhan.
Sme just need to clean house and treat all their idols well. Happy idols mean more money, duh!
As for netizens, I read the racist comments and it really bothers me. Seriously, idols come and go so no need to be hating just cause they are Chinese. 6_6
SME again and again.. i wonder why.. and how sme treat their disciples.. sigh.. this drama would have many episodes and many cameo.. see, Kris was already mentioned.. hehe.. well.. good luck for luhan.. i'm gonna miss 12exo.. or at least, 11 exo!