#exo cbx debut

[userbbh]

161031 cbx debut showcase CBF

[byuntrash101]

exo masterlist

disclaimer: everything is smut, mdni. everything is idol x fem!reader

✲ byun baekhyun

ＩＮＣＵＢＵＳ： ＣＯＭＩＮＧ ＯＦ ＡＧＥ 🍭| 10.1k - 2 parts

it’s true… you’re in love with your boss: the brilliant doctor park chanyeol. one night you’re woken up by his sweet kisses and bites… This should be a dream come true right? Then why does something feels off about him? ↳ SMUT | DomIncubus!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU

ＰＡＲＡＰＨＩＬＩＡ| 30k - 9 parts

1 man; 9 kinks. In each chapter you and your boyfriend Baekhyun explore a new layer of kink. ↳ SMUT; ANGST; FLUFF | HardDom!Baekhyun; Sub!Baekhyun x Reader | EstablishedRelationship!AU; one shot collection

ＢＡＥＫＨＹＵＮＩＥ， ＤＯＮ＇Ｔ ＬＥＡＶＥ ＭＥ | 35k - 6 parts

Don't trust anything in this story. Don't trust the cute bright cover, don't trust the handsome playful flirty barista and do not trust the cute innocent timid girl. ↳ SMUT; ANGST | Dom!Baekhyun x Reader | Mafia!AU, Yandere!AU; action; series

ＤＥＡＬ ＷＩＴＨ ＩＴ | 10.6k - 2 parts

Who would have known that a little discipline was all your selfish fuckboy ex needed to turn into the most obedient little puppy? ↳ SMUT; ANGST | FuckBoy!Sub!Baekhyun x Dom!Reader | Ex!AU, Revenge!AU; two shot

ＢＥＴＣＨＡ， ＹＯＵ＇ＲＥ ＧＯＮＮＡ ＢＥ ＭＩＮＥ | 3.4k

Working at KBS is fun and exciting especially when EXO-CBX is having their debut stage. ↳ SMUT | Dom!Baekhyun x Reader | Idol!AU; one shot

ＴＨＥＮ ＤＯ ＩＴ | 2k

When Baekhyun comes home very late from work his mood can be described with three words: tired, tipsy and horny. ↳ SMUT | GentleDom!Baekhyun x Brat!Reader | EstablishedRelationship!AU, one shot

ＣＲＹ ＭＥ Ａ ＦＵＣＫＩＮＧ ＲＩＶＥＲ | 2.6k

Even if it’s a lie, you love the way he looks at you when he says “I love you”. ↳ SMUT; ANGST | Switch!Baekhyun x Reader | Ex!AU, AbusiveRelationship!AU, one shot

ＴＲＵＭＰ ＣＡＲＤ🍭 | 4.9k

It’s game night with the boys and like often you decide to tag along with your boyfriend Baekhyun. But when money and alcohol is involved, the only thing missing is sex. ↳ SMUT; | Dom!Baekhyun; Dom!Chanyeol x Reader | Relationship!AU

ＰＲＩＣＥＬＥＳＳ🍭 | 9k

"I know your sense of honour forbids you to withdraw your parole. I know you will quietly sit in the corner and clench your fists while I fuck your girlfriend senseless." ↳ SMUT; ANGST | HardDom!Baëkhyun; HardDom!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU, SuperPower!AU, Obsession!AU, X-EXO, one shot

ＴＨＥ ＤＡＭＮＡＴＩＯＮ ＯＦ Ａ ＳＡＩＮＴ🍭 | 11.4k

Everything is boring when you’re an immortal being like Baekhyun. But that is about to change when the other Six of the Seven Sins talk to him about an unbreakable righteous and virtous girl that was just ordained nun… Wouldn’t make God himself a cuckold be the greastest achievement yet for the Sin of Lust ? ↳ SMUT | DomSinOfLust!Baekhyun; x Nun!Reader | Fantasy!AU, one shot

ＴＨＥ ＨＥＩＲ | 4.5k

Deseperate times call for deseperate measures when your Kingdom still needs an heir. ↳ SMUT | Sub!Servant!Baekhyun x Dom!Queen!Reader | Royalty!AU; Western Europe Renaissance Period, one shot

４ＡＭ ＩＮ ＪＵＮＥ| 2.1k | pride 2021 🏳️‍🌈

Transitioning is hard. But your amazing boyfriend has been there every single step of the way. But… what if somehow… He’s had enough of you? ↳ SMUT; FLUFF | SoftDom!Baekhyun x FTMTrans!Reader | Domestic!AU, slice of life, one shot

ＦＯＲＥＶＥＲ ＨＯＭＥ | 7.5k | halloween 2021 🎃

You’re all alone, tired and broken by a fate that keeps trying to bring you to your knees. But you somehow find comfort in the lonely middle aged man living next door. Can Mr Byun resurrect your shallow and empty soul? ↳ SMUT; ANGST | DomSupernaturalCreature!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU, horror, gore, NON CON, one shot

M U L T I P L E M E M B E R S

ＺＯＤＩＡＣ ＳＰＥＣＩＡ�� － ３５０ ＦＯＬＬＯＷＥＲＳ

Collection of requested drabbles revolving around zodiac dynamics to celebrate the 350 follower milestone (i luv u guys) ↳ SMUT; FLUFF | ZodiacSign!Exo x ZodiacSign!Reader | Domestic!AU, slice of life, drabble collection

[neopuppy]

i follow both your nct and enha blogs, so i saw your reply to an ask on your enha blog which also mentioned renjun and it felt wrong messaging you abt him there so i will just message you abt him here haha. hope you don’t mind!!!

have you seen renjun’s message on bbl where he exposed a sasaeng’s twt account? that was bravery right there. i hope that’ll serve as an example to idols and warning to crazy fans

I was going THROUGH it last night bc of this jcjejcjdjd I genuinely dont know if I’d be as concerned if it was anyone other than Renjun only given the circumstances(SM ent. and their long history of torturing idols- plus what was also happening with cbx/exo yesterday)

going to say this as someone who is on my 3rd SM group that I’m watching fall apart in real time once again, this is likely Dreams last run(the irony) as a properly promoted group. the only reason they even still get so much is because they are huge in Asia and have always been(PROBABLY BC SM HAS NEVER ONCE TRIED TO BREAK THEM INTO THE WESTERN MARKET THE WAY THEY DID WITH 127 BUT THATS BC 127 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR US FANS- we know how that went). its so hard to watch your favs literally cry for help and you cant do anything when its their own company working against them.

sasaengs are kept alive by INTERNAL staff that have access to information such as private schedule locations, hotels, flights, etc. why else would the SAME people always conveniently ‘show up’ to unannounced events that were never for ‘fans’ to begin with?

Renjun is one of the handful of actual talented idols we have in the age of 2024 where all kpop idols need to do is buy an entirely new face to debut and be deemed “it boy/girl”, makes me sick to my stomach that he cant do his job peacefully bc of people who relentlessly stalk him, purposely sit by him on planes, call his phone day and night.

I’m fr just a normal person, not famous just living my life and my anxiety is BAD. way worse when I was younger and would have physical panic attacks to the point of throwing up. I got help(therapy, meds, etc) fortunately and learned how to calm my anxiety but I always think abt how idols have to deal with this especially when I’m at the airport. like INTL travel is so fucking stressful and taxing on the body, I cannot imagine camera shooting at me the second I step off a 16 hr flight where weird ass ssngs followed me to the bathroom and took pictures of me SLEEPING the entire time! only to run after me in mobs after going through customs.

like idfk why anyone would defend this animalistic behavior. if an idol feels desperate enough to share their mental health issues with us as fans- coming from a place and industry where this is very stigmatized- WE NEED TO LISTEN, AS FANS WHO RESPECT AND TRUST HIM. I wish I could do something, but I cant, and I would beat up every ssng to exists if it held no repercussion bc famous or not these are HUMAN BEINGS, and they dont deserve this.

I really worry given the kpop track record of idols choosing their exit instead of finding help. I am so proud of Renjun for putting himself first and taking this time off to heal himself. like there is just so many things and I am worried abt all of Dream, they debuted so young and have some of the worst ssngs out of all of kpop with a company who wont lift a finger to protect them. in this case they truly only have us(the actual fans)and Renjun going public with this proves that.

I hope anyone who has invaded their privacy feels ashamed, and this goes for ‘fans’ that follow them around the world/are constantly in fan calls/fan signs etc- you are weird. period. nothing normal about that one-sided parasocial relationship that you brag abt online, and instead of spending $1000’s upon $1000’s on bothering an idol who will never fuck you, maybe consider investing in a much needed grippy sock vacation.

I think these people are beyond help, and unfortunately they have the funds or limitless credit to endorse their madness. I need more idols to see this and start calling out these weirdos. NO ONE SHOULD ALLOW THIS BEHAVIOR TO BE NORMALIZED, end of story.

[exoluxionlove]

[INFO] EXO-CBX lawyer files a complaint against SM with the FTC.

230605 Rough Papago translation of EXO-CBX's third legal statement

"This is Lee Jae-hak, a lawyer for Lin, a law firm that acted as legal representatives for Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen (Byun Baek-hyun, Kim Min-seok, Kim Jong-dae, hereinafter referred to as "artists").

On behalf of the client, the legal representative filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Fair Trade Commission") against SM Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as "SM")'s "abuse of trading status" yesterday (June 4, 2023).

Through this complaint, we reported that unfair contractual activities that ignored the correction order have been carried out in SM, even though the FTC has already issued correction orders twice against SM in October 2007 and January 2011.

In addition, we asked the Fair Trade Commission for a strict investigation into SM's violations and prompt corrective measures to correct them, and further requested a full investigation into the exclusive contracts of SM entertainers.

In fact, three of our client artists signed an unfair contract that did not reflect any corrective measures ordered by the FTC to SM in the past, and were continuously damaged by SM's abuse of trading status.

Failure to correct it even after receiving a correction order from the Fair Trade Commission is also a criminal punishment subject to up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 150 million won as a "person who fails to comply with correction measures under Article 49 (1)" of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act.

Below, the legal representative of the party will deliver the detailed position on the FTC's complaint against SM.

1. Despite the FTC's decision to ban SM twice in 2007 and 2011, SM did not correct it.

Until the FTC complaint, the artists made a really difficult decision after careful consideration.

This is not what happened yesterday or today.

Already in 2007 and 2011, SM, not any other company, has repeated the abuse of each trading position that the Fair Trade Commission has decided to ban the act to this day until 2023.

SM has already been judged to be unfair in terms of the FTC Resolution No. 2007-488 (2007 Seogyeong 0209) on October 8, 2007 (1) the starting point of the contract period of the exclusive contract as the debut date, and (2) the contract period provisions of other entertainment agencies in the same industry. (Refer to the decision sheet on pages 3 to 5 below

In addition, SM was also judged that the FTC's Resolution No. 2011-002 (2009 Seogyeong2741) on January 13, 2011 should not again apply the extended contract period to trainees for reasons such as overseas expansion. (See the decision sheet on pages 6-7 below.)

However, SM completely ignored the FTC's public judgment and repeated unfair tyranny again by signing exclusive contracts for Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen. This is an act that directly contradicts the Fair Trade Commission's judgment made to SM itself, not anyone else, and is a mockery of national public power.

The practices and behaviors that SM has repeated so far will not only be a matter for the artists of Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen. Considering many other trainees and artists, the damage can be enormous. And considering the unfair behavior that will be repeated not only now but also in the future, we couldn't help but step up for junior trainees and artists. In response, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen artists decided to file a complaint with the FTC against SM's abuse of trading status with the help of their legal representatives.

I hope our efforts and courage will be a small addition and hope for the protection of the rights and interests of juniors and the fair and sound development of the pop culture industry.

2. Although it has already been confirmed that calculating the end date of the exclusive contract from the time of the 'entertainment activity debut' (not from the date of the exclusive contract) is unfair to set a long-term exclusive contract at the agency's will, SM still does not follow the FTC's corrective measures.

As of October 8, 2007, FTC Resolution No. 2007-488 (2007 Seogyeong 0209) was ordered to prohibit SM from "excessively prolonging the contract period by setting the exclusive contract period to "end on the 5th year after the release of the first album" or "end on the 5th year from the date of cast of the supporting grade or higher."

However, after receiving the FTC's correction order in 2007, SM repeatedly presented and concluded exactly the same unfair provisions in exclusive contracts with Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen signed in 2010 and 2011. (Excerpt from exclusive contract of client Byun Baek-hyun below)

In this way, the expiration date of the exclusive contract can be set to "five years after the release date of the first album" or "five years after the debut date of the first work" if the artist debuts as an actor.

The Fair Trade Commission Resolution No. 2007-488 (2007 Seogyeong 0209) on October 8, 2007 also judged exactly that.

In this way, SM repeatedly presented and concluded the same unfair provisions even after receiving the FTC's corrective order in 2007, which is a criminal punishment case that must be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined up to 150 million won.

3. Even though the FTC's decision in 2007 judged that the contract period of "five years from the debut date (not from the contract date) was excessively long, SM made a more unfair contract with a period of "7 years" in the main body of the exclusive contract and "3 years" in the annex agreement.

In the 2007 FTC resolution above, SM's exclusive contract and other entertainment agencies' exclusive contract terms were compared, and the FTC judged that SM had set an overly unfavorable contract period clause.

As shown below, according to the FTC investigation at the time, (1) other agencies in the same industry did not set the starting date of the contract as "debut date" like SM, but as from "the date of signing the contract," and (2) the exclusive contract period was three to five years below the contract period set by SM.

As a result of this investigation, the Fair Trade Commission issued an order prohibiting excessive prolongation of the contract period by setting the exclusive contract period as "5th year after the release of the first album" or "5th year from the date of cast of the supporting grade or higher."

Nevertheless, SM did not correct this and signed the contract under unfair contract conditions, which is an act that did not comply with the Fair Trade Commission's corrective measures and is a criminal punishment issue as mentioned earlier.

4. SM is violating the Fair Trade Commission's corrective order by using the expedient to apply the extended contract period uniformly for reasons such as overseas expansion that has not been confirmed at the time of signing the contract.

According to FTC Resolution No. 2011-002 (2009 Seogyeong2741), SM is not ordered to correct the other party by applying the extended contract period to all trainees without considering their individual circumstances using their trading status.

In addition, the FTC pointed out the annex agreement of Table 3 as below in the above resolution in 2011, and SM uniformly concluded the annex agreement in this form, which was judged to be an unfair contract condition.

Upon receipt of such a corrective action order, SM should no longer enter into a contract that violates the corrective action order, and even if the contract is already signed, it should be revised to suit the purpose of the corrective action order. However, SM repeatedly presented and signed exactly the same unfair subsidiary agreement provisions in exclusive contracts with Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen in 2010 and 2011, before and after receiving the FTC's correction order in 2011. (Excerpt from exclusive contract of client Byun Baek-hyun below)

And as far as the client artists know, SM has been signing an annex agreement to extend the three-year contract period for other artists due to preparations for overseas expansion.

In this way, SM repeatedly presented and concluded the same unfair provisions even after receiving the FTC's correction order in 2011, which is a criminal punishment of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to KRW 150 million as defined in Article 125 (1) of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act.

5. The follow-up exclusive contract, which is automatically extended until the album release volume is filled, is extremely unfair as it has not even set a minimum limit on the period.

As you can see, the artist decided to calculate the contract period from the debut date, and the trainee period was added to the exclusive contract period, extended by 3 years, and the military service period was added to the exclusive contract for more than 12 to 13 years.

This is too different from the standard exclusive contract for pop culture artists (singer-centered) announced by the Fair Trade Commission based on 7 years of contract period, and SM claims at least 17 or 18 years of contract period by signing 12 to 13 years of exclusive contract.

It is pointed out again that such subsequent signing of an exclusive contract constitutes "an act of unfairly using the status of the transaction" in Article 45 (1) 6 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act. In other words, the long-term compulsion using a subsequent exclusive contract is considered to correspond separately to the "compulsory provision of profits" or "unprofitable provision of transaction conditions" in attached Table 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act.

And Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the subsequent exclusive contract says, 'This contract is... for five years from. However, if the minimum number of albums specified in Article 4 (4) is not released within the same period, the contract period shall be automatically extended until the time of implementation.' There is no upper limit to the period of automatic extension.

In this way, the clause that the contract period is automatically extended without a cap is clearly a slave contract, and the legal representative pointed out that it is an act of "unfairly exploiting the trading position to deal with the other party," and the artists agree.

And with more than a year left of the existing exclusive contract, it is not justifiable to "tie" the artists by signing a follow-up exclusive contract without a limit on the period. SM has never paid artists a down payment for subsequent exclusive contracts.

ccording to Article 3, Paragraph 2 of the "Popular Culture Artist (Singer-centered) Standard Exclusive Contract" announced by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the singer can notify the planner of the termination of the contract at any time after seven years. However, SM has signed a very long-term contract and is tying up the artists again a year or so before the contract ends.

6. We have filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission with the hope that our small courage will be helpful for the establishment of fair pop culture and junior artists.

Despite corrective action by the Fair Trade Commission in 2007 and 2011, SM has repeatedly engaged in unfair contract practices.

Such an act ignores the legitimate act of state government power, and the damage caused by it has occurred repeatedly to trainees and artists.

In response, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen artists decided to file a complaint with the FTC against SM's abuse of trading status with the help of their legal representatives.

I hope our efforts and courage will be a small addition and hope for the protection of the rights and interests of juniors and the fair and sound development of the pop culture industry."

Source

[aphrodite1288]

Omg I love this side of Kyungsoo 😆 It was 2am in Korea when he shared this story. And maybe he's a lil tipsy ! I love him for celebrating his Freedom and departure savagely. He slayed!

SAVAGE KYUNGSOO SUPREMACY!

Ps: To dumb Akgaes Dandanies whom I hate so much, don't Mistake Ksoo's dislike to SM to him hating his members!!!

Stop hating on the members! He clearly loves them and doesn't blame or condemn them for anything?! the fuck is wrong with y'all bashing them like They have any link to his beef with SM?? The X app is full of Dandans being psycho haters attacking Exo and ExoL like hungry wolves. The other members are also going through their own shit and sabotage from SM and you saw it with Chanyeol and CBX and Jongdae! Why are you only saying SM was bad to Ksoo only and that they were favoring other members over him??! Bitch where?

Sehun sang like 15 lines in all Exo songs since debut, has no solo album 0 reality shows or Variety attendance, 0 Sechan promotions from SM.

Jongdae was being canceled, threatened with Death him and his daughters and went on hiatus for 3years because he decided to have a family and SM didn't even support him or sued the fans who boycotted him or sent him death threats.

Suho, who works so hard on his albums and musicals, and has 0 promotions from SM, no appreciation, 0 variety/reality shows attendance!

Chanyeol who paid with his own money to print and promote his albums with Sehun ?? He said he wants a unit and make an album with Sehun he said he has the lyrics and composed everything himself he just needed the funds for making MVs and printing albums and promoting his debut and comebacks, SM said "Your unit your problem"??? Or the fact that SM was the one that spread that 10 gfs scandal and ruined him few months before going to military because he was being a Rebel! And there's notbing worse than going on military hiatus with a scandal , because once your back people will forget you by choice and with time also! And SM didn't even take any legal measures to protect him like they did with all their idols in that shithole pink company!

Or Jongin and Baekhyun &, Ksoo whom are called the money makers of SM who got overworked by SM, with no rest They put them in show after show after show after project after schedule, going from filming directly to another filming with no rest or a proper meal or sleep, and make them debut 4 times in units and a whole other band (SuperM)?

And Please don't get me started on Minseok/Xiumin, that Man as if he doesn't even exist to SM. He's the most underrated most mistreated member of all times NOT ONLY from his company but sadly from HIS OWN FANS who give 0 fucks about what he does, his albums and projects, I dare anyone here to tell me three songs from his album. And because he's not supported by his own fans that SM refuses to "Waste money" on him promoting him which is sad it's how business works, if you can't produce you can't consume. Like that he'll never have anything even if he begs for it, SM would say "No! We can't give you an album because have you seen your last album it barely got us any revenue 0 profit sorry" . In companies if you can't sell you can't ask for solo projects! Not even a birthday party for your own self with your fans. And if you wanna promote yourself you gotta pay for your Promotions like how Sechan did with their albums.

Sad but facts.

Anyway Ksoo has cute Toes UWU

[happykjd]

CBX recent response to SM

Released June 6

1) Re the 2018 Supreme Court decision. This case was different from the beginning as it related to Tao, a Chinese trainee. He was expected to be active overseas when he signed an exclusive contract.

CBX are all Korean and when they were trainees, it was not determined that they would work abroad at the time of the signing of the exclusive contract. While the members were trainees, SM uniformly had all three artists sign an annexation agreement to extend the contract by three years citing the intention of overseas expansion. In the case of Baekhyun, he was assigned to EXO-K (K stands for Korea) and was active in the domestic unit of EXO so it is really unfair that his contract was extended three years for overseas activities.

In the case of Xiumin and Chen, they were not assigned to unit activities in Korea or overseas at the time of the contract signing but were assigned to Chinese activities after the contract was signed.so the unfair practice of extending contracts for trainees who had not decided to work overseas still exists. In 2011, the KFTC ordered SM to refrain from engaging in acts against its trainees by applying an extended contract period to all trainees uniformly without considering individual circumstances of the trainee…SM signs contracts with trainees in advance of their debut even though the contract period starts with the debut. it is not permissible to extend the contract for an additional three years when it is not clear when the debut takes place, what subunit group they will participate in, and whether they will perform overseas. The continued behavior of SM after being ordered to correct themselves twice is baffling and is why KFTC should make a full investigation of all of SM’s trainee and artist contracts.

2) Contrary to SM’s press release, the lawyers and artists have not been provided with settlement documents. On 8 AM on 5 Jun, SM distributed a press release saying it would provide a copy of the settlement data. However, as of the close of business at 6 PM, SM has not provided any settlement data saying that the reports are not ready yet.

3) To the EXO fans, CBX would explain the negotiation process in detail 

A) Signed agency contracts in June 2010 and May 2011 and around Dec of last year, received a renewal letter from SM that added five years to the existing contracts, totaling 17-18 years. during the process, hired a lawyer and because the contract was unreasonable, requested adjustments 8 times but SM did not accept them. There was a steadfast refusal to accept any change and in the end, almost none of the requests were included. We felt the contract was unfair but had no choice but to sign. We heard stories that refusal to re-sign could hurt the members or team as a whole. At the time, SM said that they wanted everyone to make the choice to renew together but said to Bakehyun, you need to sign so other members can get paid. He was told he could cancel the contract at any time since the renewal hadn’t taken effect. At this time, Baekhyun was serving in the military. In order to keep EXO’s activities continuing without interruption, Baekhyun had no choice to renew even though he had a year left on his exiting contract. Baekhyun signed the contract out of loyalty to his members and to protect the team EXO.

B) Despite the fact that the contract was supplied to be delivered immediately upon signing, SM did not provide a copy until CBX requested it…We were puzzled by the suddenness and the haste at which the contract was renewed when there was more than a year left. After the renewal, there were several stores in the media over the SM takeover battle and we couldn’t help but wonder is that why they pulled out the contract and had us renew with a year left. 

C) SM did not give any explanation to the artists regarding (its buy out with Kakao). We had to figure out what was going on from the company’s press releases, as if we were outsiders. It was dumbfounding. During the acquisition process, it felt like the company didn’t value us at all. We were just a cog in the wheel who were just there to to do whatever the company ordered. 

D) While the company and the shareholders described as victims of long time problems such as Like Planning filled the media, no one talked about that the work of artists/staff who worked at SM were also violated for a long time before that. Over the past 12-13 years, its likely a significant portion of profits has been siphoned off inappropriately. Before we can believe SM’s promise that it won’t be like that from now on, there has to be a reckoning with the past that explains it all to the artists, fans, etc, only then can a fresh start be possible. The company was in disarray but the artists were even more confused. Everyone had doubts, but the artists were the ones who couldn’t take any chances. 

E) Seven requests for settlement data. Never imagined this would be such a difficult task for the company…it’s basic right of an artist. ‘Provision of materials’ is clearly stated in the contract but SM insists this is only ‘right of access’. Only a few news outlets and youtubers sympathetic to SM buy this argument.

F) For the fans. If someone is taking advantage of the memories, love, youth, hard work, passion that the members and fans have shared for 11 years, this should be corrected. If the SM community is forcing artists to put up with injustice, we think we should speak out. We value EXO more than anything. We love them and would never betray them, always put them first. Above all, we are not afraid of anything as long as we have our fans.

[exoplanetupdates-blog]

[ENG] EXO Fanmeeting Masterlist

Note : does not include birthday parties, cfs related fanmeetings

EXO

'Hello!' Greeting Party in Japan Event

EXO-L Japan Fanmeetings

The War Mini Fanmeeting

Nature Republic Fan Festivals

0xfesta Fanmeeting

Debut 10th Anniversary Fanmeeting

EXO' Clock Fanmeeting

EXO-CBX

Hey Mama Mini Fanmeeting

Summer Vacation With EXO-CBX

EXO-SC

Japan Special Event

Back to Back Fancon

XIUMIN

Xiuweet Time +  ON: Xiuweet Time

SUHO

O2asis Online Fanmeeting

Japan Special Live

BAEKHYUN

CanDelight Shop Online Fanmeet

KAI

Merry KAI-Mas Online Fanmeeting

Japan Special Live

[bykimchi]

𓂃 ☁︎ ࣪ 240612 | no but the way they're patting their own heads has me in absolute tears 🥺 [41/∞]

+ their much deserved success is long-overdue and it took a switch under a different management center for them to achieve what they should've achieved since debut. and this is just another chapter of SM being absolute trash - it didn't start with EXO and it won't end with RIIZE (spoiler: I'm still missing seunghan and I hope CBX get their comeuppance)

[randomobsessionsofa30something]

My top 15 kpop albums of 2023

It's been a year since I posted something. At this point, I feel I'm only writting to keep a record for myself of my favorites of the year. Still, if anyone cares to read this, know I've posted my favorite korean music and dramas of the year every year since 2016. First up, my favorite albums of 2023.

15. Heize-Last winter. I've honestly been in a Heize break for almost two years because I felt her songs started to sound too much alike but this album got me excited for her music once again. It has bearly been a week since it came out so I did hesitate including it but I think it portrays my favorite style of hers so at the end I was like "yeah, it deserves a spot". Forget me not feauturing BIG NAUGHTY's beautiful vocals is my favorite song of the album. However her title, a collab with 10 cm, is a close second. Picnic of the Night gives us a more uptempo beat and Chan's sweet vocals are so relaxing. I think I will be listening this album a lot in the next few months.

14. PENOMECO-Rorschach (Part 1). Ever since Penomeco entered my radar I have loved pretty much everything he has released. I do prefer his more chill music but this year he brought us more of his hip hop side and released two mini albums called Rorschach, both could have easily made my list but I think at the end of the day I like the album he released in april a bit more, and he does have two songs with Zico in this one, which did tip the balance for me. As I said, I do like his more layback music so my favorite song is Margiela feauturing Paul Blanco. The album starts with strong beats with Boy Pablo (2019) and stays on track with his title song Rindaman feauturing Zico. His other collab with Zico: Pew! is also a fiery song. As is Bubble. He slows down for his other three songs and they all are such a great listen.

13. TREASURE-Reboot. I think TREASURE has had really bad luck, from their delayed debut to the ups and downs lately. The thing is I've always prefered those groups I actually feel excited to listen to their whole albums and TREASURE has really delivered in all of them as far as I'm concerned. People keep saying YG is holding them back by making them have the typical YG songs like BONA BONA or STUPID on this album but since I'm a fan of those kind of songs so I really look forward to it. However it was the songs by their subunits I actually liked the most MOVE is just such an exciting song and THE WAY TO by the vocal unit is just my kind of ballad. To be fair listening to Jungwoo and Jihoon sing is such highlight for me on all of their songs. I just love their tones.

12. Taeyeon-To. X. 2023 was a year where I really got into Taeyeon's discography. So I was really excited for this comeback. The title To. X is a fun midtempo break up song. I would have liked Melt Away more as the title but I did love both songs. This is also a recent release so I moved it up and down in my list a lot. I'm also having a hard time picking a favorite song. I also enjoy listening to Fabolous with the quorky beat and witty lyrics but I think I actually liked all the tracks equally.

11. VIXX-CONTINUUM. VIXX has changed a lot over the last few years but somehow this album with only Leo, Ken and Hyuk sounds very much like VIXX used to sound in 2015. They really stand on their own and all of their voices are amazing. However I've always had a soft spot for Leo and his vocals in Lilac are just heavenly. Probably why I love that ballad so much. I was actually surprised with Hyuk's low vocals that give a needed twist to Leo and Ken's power vocals. All five songs in this mini album are so good. The title is Amnesia and the MV aesthetic is obviously inspired by the movie Dune.

10. NCT DOJAEJUNG-Perfume. This release kind of blind sighted me. I never thought Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo would come together in a subunit so in that sense they reminded me of the time I heard EXO CBX was debuting. I really love the title Perfume. It's one of those rare times the title is actually my favorite song of the album. I thought they would do a ballad for their title but the fact it was an upbeat sexy song was unexpectedly right. Doyoung is my favorite NCT vocalist so listening to him this whole album was such a joy. Jaehyun's vocals can be a bit overlooked in NCT127 just because Douyoung and Taeil are so amazing. Listening to him have more time in this album to shine was exactly what I wanted. I love Jungwoo's personality and honestly I was afraid he would get a bit lost in this album but my worries were unnecessary. Often I found his low notes were that little bit of spice the songs needed in this album. I loved all the bsides but Dive and Strawberry Sunday were specially a fun listen. And of course they had to do a traditional SM ballad (Ordinary) which is just beautiful.

9. D.O.- Expectation. I'll never stop wishing for EXO's Kyungsoo to do an r&b album but his heart is in easy listening heartfelt songs so I can't complain. I'm just happy to get anything from him as a solo artist. This mini album has so many pretty songs. I do is my favorite hands down and one of my most played songs of the year but Lost (both the acoustic and the regular version) is such a fun song to listen to and could have easily become the title. The vocals and the melody are so powerful. Ordinary days and The view also have a fun melody. The title Somebody is really catchy and the MV is so sweet.

8. TXT- The name chapter: Freefall. I have to confess I haven't gotten into TXT's content. I just came to like them gradually in the last couple of years and there was so much to catch up on that I haven't really get to know the members at all but the albums are a different story. Deep down is my favorite of the album but Happily Ever After is also a highlight. The title Chasing the Feeling gave us a fun retro beat and the chorus was really addicting. I also found Skipping Stones to be an interesting song. Love the guitar and bass on that one and the vocals by Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huaningkai are just heavenly. And of course the collab with The Jonas Brothers was a bit unexpected yet exactly what I didn't know I wanted.

7. Zion.T-Zip. This was almost out of my list because I just listened to it a week ago, but I had to add it. Zion. T is just so unique and entertaining to listen to. His collab with AKMU called V is my favorite. But as expected, this is a no skip songs with great use of instruments, beats, vocals and occasional rapping. He even released three MVs for this comeback (Stranger, V and Unlove). The album is 10 tracks long yet only sums up 26 minutes. Thank u featuring Yun Seokcheol is also a highlight.

6. V-Layover. To be honest, I was not excited for V's solo stuff. I was expecting a lot from Jungkook and Jimin but not from him. I don't know why. So it was so surprising when I actually wasn't excited with the songs they released but I really loved V's album. It's my fault really because I do tend to overlook Taehyun's vocals when listening to BTS. The sound he went for it's exactly my kind of music. Layover just feels sophisticated. Blue is definitely my go to song with its fancy r&b sound and Love me again has my favorite beat of the album. Slow Dancing is so sweet and For us takes you in a journey. The album is only 5 songs but from the first listen I knew it would make my top 10 of the year.

5. NCT 127-Fact Check. For me, this is the first NCT127 no skip album. I liked LIMITLESS a lot but even that one has a couple of songs that are just not for me. NCT 127's titles are either a huge hit with me or they rub me off, this time around I found Fact Check so addicting. I love Space's melody but Misty is my favorite overall. Everyone's vocals are on point but Taeil is such a wonder to listen to on that one. Love is a beauty is also a great ballad. Parade might be a hiphop heavy song but Doyoung's beautiful vocals really stand out to me. And Angel Eyes gave me a bit of NCT U's With you vibes. I love Mark's parts in Je ne sais quoi then again everyone sounds so good in that song.

4. Taeyang-Down to Earth. Taeyang came back with a bang. Every song on the album feels so big. I wasn't a fan of the title VIBE featuring BTS's Jimin on the first listen, but it really grew on me. The chorus just pops in my head from time to time out of nowhere. Shoong featuring Blackpink's Lisa is amazing, and the performance video is crazy good. Seed is the power ballad of the album. Nightfall featuring Bryan Chase is also a highlight with its retro pop beat and beautiful vocals.

3. Taemin-Guilty. The void Taemin left while he was in the military could not really be fulled by anyone else. He's just different. And yes, a lot of it is the performance but the music always comes first. This album is only six songs but they all are so good. Not gonna lie, the first time I heard The Rizzness I was confused because the strong beat and rapping surprised me. I didn't know if I liked it but it really grew on me after hearing it a couple of times. I'm obsessed with She loves me she loves me not and its playful melody plus it's definitely my most played track of the album. Not over you and Blue takes us in a dreamlike journey.

2. Red Velvet-Chill Kill. I was surprised to realize this is the only album from a girlgroup I liked this year. I even forced myself to listen to some albums of the most popular girlgroups right now but it's just not my kind of music. However this album is straight up my alley. A Velvet R&B album. I hadn't enjoyed a Red Velvet album so much since The Perfect Red Velvet. My favorite Red Velvet comebacks are always the one with a creepy twist so Chill Kill was on point with that strong beat paired with a sweet chorus. Knock knock (who's there) is a seemless follow up to Chill Kill. Underwater is one of my favorites for sure but these days I keep going back to Nightmare. Iced coffee and One Kiss have catchy chorus while Wings is uplifting with beautiful vocals.

1. EXO-EXIST. My Spotify Wrapped top 5 songs belong all to this album. It's actually the first time it happens. Despite me being an EXO-L, some pop or indie songs are usually in the mix, but I guess I missed EXO. They just did all the things I love in an EXO album: r&b, beautiful harmonies, and fun beats. I keep changing my favorite song of the album. At first, it was Regret it just because the production is so great. Then I was like, actually, all the falsetto and runs in Cinderella makes it my favorite. Yet I kept feeling No makeup was the perfect r&b EXO song, so I thought: that one for sure! But of course, the title Cream Soda is so catchy, and the chorus is expectacular, so obviously, that's the one. Nevertheless, Love fool is so much fun to listen to, and I do love Sehun and Chanyeol's verses in Another Day. Then why is my most played song of the year Let me In? And what about Hear me out that makes me happy every time I listen to it? Don't even get me started on Private Party's lyrics! Anyway, you get the idea, so just do yourself a favor and check out this album.

[dailykoreanpop]

Excerpts Of Former Girls’ Generation Jessica Jung’s Novel “Shine” Resurface Amid EXO-CBX’s “Slave” Contract Claims

“The past is repeating itself…”

On June 1 (KST), EXO‘s Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen stunned fans and netizens with the announcement they would be suing SM Entertainment to terminate their contracts.

According to a Yonhap News report, the members asked for a full accounting of their activities and the revenue produced since March, but SM Entertainment has yet to provide them. The members released a complete statement detailing all of their grievances with the company, in addition to an apology to fans.

We apologize to the fans for causing concern, we are deeply sorry.

Although we are currently in a legal dispute with SM, we will choose a gracious path to settle our differences so as not to create concerns for fans.

We are currently, at this moment, very scared and in fear, but we have decided to raise our small voices about the mistreatment we have received.

We hope that you will be interested in our story and our struggling courage. We would like to sincerely thank our fans who have supported us for so long. Thank you so much.

— Lee Jae Hak

One of the grievances listed in the statement is the extremely long contracts the EXO members signed. According to the announcement, the artists originally signed contracts lasting twelve to thirteen years, much longer than the standard seven dictated by the Fair Trade Commission.

In addition, SM allegedly has artists preemptively sign contract extensions, bringing the total number of years under contract to at least seventeen to eighteen years. Lee Seung Gi recently exposed his company for keeping him under a “slave contract” like the above.

According to fans online, this revelation about EXO-CBX’s contracts was already hinted at by a past SM Entertainment artist — Jessica Jung.

Jessica Jung was a member of GIrls’ Generation from her debut until her removal from the group in 2014, leaving the company just a year later. It was initially said to pursue her fashion career with her brand BLANC & ECLARE.

In addition to her fashion, Jessica pursued several other avenues, including the much-anticipated release of her first novel, Shine. About a young Korean-American joining the K-Pop industry, Jessica has confirmed that the depictions found in the book are “based on experience.”

Now years later, an excerpt from Shine has begun recirculating online after the recent revelations from the EXO members.

On a page from the novel, the main character asks another about their contract length, and the other bitterly explains how DB Entertainment, the fictional label in the book, controlled her career.

Somewhere in a bank in Switzerland, in some secure vault, are the three-year extension contacts DB forced the rest of Electric Flower and me to sign the same day we signed our original contracts. Postdated, of course, so everything will hold up in court.

— Excerpt from Shine by Jessica Jung

The character also mentions how the company attempted to make everything her fault, similar to SM Entertainment’s statement that accused another company of trying to poach the trio and denied the trio’s listed complaints.

As Jessica’s novel is so closely related to her own story, some fans have shared this to support EXO-CBX’s claims, stating the former girl group member tried to shine a light on this issue.

Credit: Koreaboo 

[watashinohikari-8]

Happy 7th debut anniversary to EXO-CBX!

[kpop-locks]

bia, indica b-sides do exo pfvr <3

vou mandar as que eu lembro agora

moonlight

heart attack

been through

gravity

my lady

hurt

artificial love

el dorado

white noise

forever

trauma

lady luck

baby you are

oasis

come in (kai solo)

amnesia (kai solo)

nothing on me (kai solo)

cry for love (baekhyun solo)

love again (baekhyun solo)

all i got (baekhyun solo)

made in you (suho solo)

o2 (suho solo)

i don’t even mind (chen solo)

portrait of you (chen solo)

i’m gonna love you (d.o solo)

my love (d.o solo)

borderline (exo-sc)

sweet dreams (exo-cbx)

edit maju: o debut, xoxo e exodus inteirinhos pode confiar

[exoluxionlove]

[INFO] EXO-CBX refute SM’s official position (June 5th)

230605 Rough Papago translation of of EXO-CBX’s fourth legal statement

"This is Lee Jae-hak, a lawyer for Lin, a law firm that acted as legal representatives for Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen (Byun Baek-hyun, Kim Min-seok, Kim Jong-dae, hereinafter referred to as "artists").

On behalf of the client, the legal representative filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Fair Trade Commission") against SM Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as "SM")'s "abuse of trading status." In this regard, SM distributed an official press release on the 5th. I would like to refute this case by case. In addition, I would like to tell the fans in detail about what the members have been doing.

1. Tao is a Chinese trainee's issue, and it is a different case from the beginning, and it is not reasonable to argue that the FTC's existing judgment, the correction order issued twice against SM, and our report are wrong.

SM claims that the terms of the contract for the artists were already recognized as legitimate in 2018, citing a court ruling against Tao. But this is not true.

First of all, Tao was a Chinese, so he was expected to work abroad from the time he signed an exclusive contract. On the other hand, the three artists, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen, were all Koreans and trainees whose overseas activities were not decided at the time of signing the exclusive contract. However, SM uniformly signed an annex agreement to extend the exclusive contract period by three years for three artists whose overseas activities were not confirmed at the time of signing the exclusive contract.

In particular, after the above exclusive contract, Baekhyun was assigned as a member of the EXO-K (K stands for 'Korea') team and worked in a Korean or domestic unit among EXO, so it is even more unfair to sign an annex agreement to extend the period for three years due to overseas activities. In the case of XIUMIN and CHEN, no Korean or overseas activities were set at the time of the exclusive contract, but they signed an annex agreement to extend the three-year period first, and they were assigned to do Chinese activities after the exclusive contract.

As already pointed out, SM is not ordered to apply the extended contract period to all trainees without considering the individual circumstances of the trainee while signing an exclusive contract with an aspiring celebrity, according to FTC Resolution No. 2011-002 (2009 Seogyeong2741).

Nevertheless, SM is uniformly extending the exclusive period of 3 years through an annex agreement. This is clearly an illegal act that directly contradicts the FTC's corrective order.

SM, in particular, has signed an exclusive contract in advance when it was a trainee prior to its debut, but it is not allowed to extend it uniformly through an annex agreement without determining when it will debut, which activity group or overseas activities.

The artists understand that SM is still signing an annex agreement to add three years to the name of overseas activities when signing contracts with trainees. This is a criminal punishment case that requires up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 150 million won as a "person who fails to comply with corrective measures under Article 49 (1)" under Article 125 Subparagraph 1 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act.

It is just embarrassing to see the continued rationalization of SM, which has continued to make unfair contracts without correcting them even after receiving two corrective orders. This may be why the FTC should conduct a full investigation into SM's exclusive contracts with trainees and artists.

2. Unlike SM's press release, the party's lawyers and artists have not yet been provided with the settlement data.

At 8 a.m. today (5th), SM distributed a press release that said it would provide a copy of the settlement data, and accordingly, the legal representative provided a copy of the artists' confidentiality pledge to SM.

However, SM has not provided any settlement data until 6 p.m., when today's work and time are closed, saying, "We are not ready for settlement data yet."

3. Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen would like to explain in detail the process to EXO fans who are having dizzy and anxious days with worrying news, not happy news.

3-A. Continuous conciliation and promotion of atmosphere

We, who signed an exclusive contract with SM in June 2010 and May 2011, respectively, received an exclusive contract re-contract from SM for a total of 17-18 years, extending 5 years to the existing contract around December last year, a year before 12-13 years came.

First of all, during the renewal process, our members appointed a lawyer for review, and at that time, the contract was unfair, so we asked for coordination eight times, but SM did not accept it. We only saw the firm determination from SM to change nothing in the contract. In the end, almost nothing was reflected in our request.

Although we thought it was unfair, the reason why we had no choice but to reach the seal was because of the continuous conciliation and the promotion of an atmosphere that was hard to resist. I have heard that if an individual does not comply with the renewal contract, the rest of the team or the entire team could be disadvantaged.

At that time, SM said, "I hope all the members will make a choice about renewing their contracts together," and on the other hand, he pressured and coaxed Baekhyun by saying, "Baekhyun, you have to sign a contract so that other members can receive this much down payment." He also said that he would cancel this contract at any time because the contract has not yet been renewed. At that time, Baekhyun was serving in the military.

Baekhyun had about a year left until the end of the exclusive contract to maintain EXO's smooth activities amid SM's contradictory attitude and different members' contract termination, but he had no choice but to sign the contract again with a shrunken and resigned mind.

I asked for coordination eight times, but it was an embarrassing process to use the word coordination, and it was a re-contract that did not reflect the request at all. Nevertheless, I signed the re-contract only because I wanted to keep my loyalty with EXO members and protect EXO. To be honest, it is true that I signed the contract almost as if I had given up.

Our lethargic work at the time was even thought to have nothing to do with the closed and collective atmosphere unique to SM and the situation such as "gaslighting" that has recently filled the media landscape.

3-B. Beyond unfair content, unfair process

Not only the contents of the contract but also the process was unfair.

At that time, even though the contract had to be issued immediately after signing, SM retrieved the contract and it was not issued to us. The contract could not be issued until a few days later at our request.

Furthermore, due to the phrase that the down payment will also be paid one year after the date of signing, our members still have not received all the down payment.

It is also strange that the contract was renewed suddenly and in a hurry about a year before the renewal period.

After finishing the contract with us like a flash, there was a lot of news in the media about the takeover battle surrounding SM. We couldn't help but wonder, "Oh, that's why you signed the contract for about a year?"

At the same time, I had no choice but to ask myself numerous questions about whether signing this mysterious contract was really an act of protecting EXO and EXO members, and after such questions, the idea was, "Let's try because it's good for the precious people."

3-C. No explanation for significant changes in the company

SM did not give any understanding, words, or explanation to our artists when the company was transferred. As if we were outsiders of the company, we had to figure out what was going on with the reported article. I had no choice but to be absent-minded.

The idea I felt during the acquisition was that the company didn't care about us at all. We were just accessories, and I felt sad that we were just subject to what the company said.

3-D. Revenue breach that artists have been going through for decades

When issues such as Like Planning filled the media, only the interests of SM and shareholders were long described as infringement, but no one noticed that the interests of our artists and staff who worked with SM were also greatly infringed.

It is well assumed that a significant portion of the profits that will be written in our statement of accounts over the past 12 to 13 years have slipped out in an unreasonable and unconvincing manner, whether it be producer fees or royalties.

Before SM says, "It won't happen like in the past from now on," I think there must be a process of knowing exactly what the 'past' actually was and explaining it to our artists, fans, the public, and shareholders. I think a fresh start is possible from there.

When the company was in disarray, it was the artists who were more disarray than that. Everyone had doubts, but we couldn't be hasty.

3-E. Request to provide settlement data 7 times

We never imagined that it would be so difficult to get the settlement data from the company.

It is the basic right of artists to receive settlement data. Can't even enjoy these basic rights even though they've been together and worked hard for more than 10 years. It was so disappointing. And the doubts grew even more and more.

I didn't expect the company to think it was so wrong to check the numbers and get help from an accountant or lawyer.

No one has solved it. I was afraid, but I took the courage to take a step forward because I only wanted to know the truth.

How can we understand this shamelessness, which is clearly stated in the contract as 'providing data', but has claimed that it only means 'right to read'. Did the Fair Trade Commission, as well as the court, really think that SM's poor claim that "data provision" in the contract is only a simple right to access?

I don't think the settlement data should be confidential at least to us, the parties involved. All the experts we consulted have unanimously agreed that there is a clear difference between "provided" and "right to read."

Only some media and YouTubers who are close to SM agree with the claim that it is only a "right to read." Do you think the Fair Trade Commission and the judicial authorities will accept SM's existing poor claim that it is only a "right to read"?

3-F. A message to EXO fans

If someone was taking advantage of the memories, love, youth, effort, and passion that members and fans have shared for 11 years, I think this should be corrected. More than anyone else, I hope it was fair, but if it wasn't, I believe it needs to be fixed a little.

If the "SM community" is forcing artists to condone their injustices, I think we should make a little noise about the coercion.

We value EXO members more than anything else. We've spent half of our lives together with the members. We will never betray such members, and we will put EXO first in any situation.

We will leave it up to the public and our precious fans to decide whether we are courageous to shout our rights, and whether it is an act of betraying EXO members.

Above all, we're not afraid of anything if our fans are there."

Source

[a9saga]

I started typing this whole thing on mobile and couldn't figure out how to put a break in and I refuse to update the app. Fuck it. You are scrolling past this whole damn thing. Unfollow me. This is all I'm gonna be talking about for the next two weeks.

Exo needs to break up. They have needed to break up. That was my hot take I had been saying I'd eventually share but I never got around to it, and now it's a lot more apparent. Not that I thought this was going to happen. I thought that when I finally posted this, someone might be mad about it, but in wake of CBX's lawsuit I don't think anyone's going to be surprised to hear it.

I was sure exo members were done suing SM entertainment a long time ago. It's been 9 years since Kris and Luhan filed their lawsuits, both of whom won. It's been 8 years since Tao's hiatus, and almost 8 since he filed his lawsuit months later, which he ended up losing despite never rejoining exo. I became a fan of exo during Call Me Baby promotions when Tao was still dancing with a broken leg. I was 15 at the time, about to turn 16. EXO scandals were extremely fresh and ongoing. But those three are so far in the past now. Lay quietly decided not to renew recently, but he hadn't been able to appear with the group for 5 years so, yeah. No surprise. But I really thought it was all done when EXO-M was done for.

Well, I can tell you why I'd been thinking for a while EXO should break up. It's because they're really a thing of the past, and essentially after Love Shot, it felt like there was nowhere to go from there.

That felt like the last breath of their 5 year long prime. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome. EXO have hit after hit after hit, think of the absolute best most addictive song by your favorite pop artist, and EXO have a discography of mostly those. But they haven't grown and changed artistically or commercially as a group. They've been around 11 years, they're in their 30s now, and I don't even think most of them have the heart to revitalize their prime like Super Junior did after their military hiatus was over. Maybe a couple of them have it in them to do the pop star thing for their entire careers, but I didn't think that like, Sehun or Chanyeol were necessarily passionate about creating new music for the rest of their career. Chen has a family now and that's also something I'd like the rest of exo to afford without their huge commercial group getting in the way of that. The only one I felt for sure would not be done anytime soon was Baekhyun. I thought he'd be the new Kangta of the group, sticking around when EXO were dormant and fizzled out. I never thought SM would actually let them break up, like H.O.T did when I was a baby. But yeah, Baekhyun leaving shocks me the most. Not that I blame him. I do fully believe the allegations made in the lawsuit as SM have had such a shady reputation.

Looking at SM's pre-EXO boy groups, one might say EXO were the main successor to Super Junior, because, obviously, both groups debuted with 12 people. Large groups like that weren't really a thing in kpop before Super Junior debuted. Additionally, Han Geng of Suju was one of the first Chinese kpop idols. In 2008, two more Chinese members were added to the sub unit Super Junior-M, which released Mandarin versions of pre-existing and original Korean Super Junior songs. Hm, this sounds familiar. I only just built up a better case for the EXO/SJ argument. Diana and I talk about this sometimes though; I once made an argument that I think EXO was more a successor to TVXQ/DBSK (Tong Vfang Xien Qi/Dong Bang Shin Ki), which I would have forgotten saying if she never brought up that one time i said it ever again.

In July of 2009, JYJ threw the first brick at SM Entertainment I mean TVXQ's members Kim "Hero" Jaejoong, Park "Micky" Yoochun and Kim "Xiah" Junsu filed a lawsuit against SM for contract termination, claiming they had been coerced into slave contracts as minors. They were 22-23 at the time, TVXQ having debuted on December 26th, 2003. The three of them won the lawsuit, signed to C-Jes Entertainment and formed the new group, JYJ, of just the three of them. It was assumed the original five piece was dead by that point, but surprisingly, in 2010, Jung "U-Know" Yunho and Shim "Max" Changmin chose to stay at SM and continue TVXQ as a duo.

This whole thing is arguably the most significant scandal in the 30-year history of SM. TVXQ had been SM's biggest success to date and some argue they and Boa still are. Your faves wouldn't have cracked Japan without the efforts of those two, and if kpop didn't reach Japan in the early 2000s, the entertainment industry in a small East Asian country wouldn't have become huge across the entire planet---and frankly, if TVXQ hadn't been big internationally, they'd have been done for because SM had them blacklisted from Korean television for a decade.

Han Geng of Super Junior actually did file for contract termination shortly after JYJ did, also for mistreatment. As did Luhan, Tao and Kris as we've already acknowledged. But all four of them could move to the entertainment industry in China. Sure, you're always going to lose something by leaving as big a group as EXO, Super Junior or TVXQ, but SM hasn't been sued by its Korean idols since JYJ. Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen know that they're putting at least as much on the line. And now, like TVXQ, more than half of EXO are no longer in the group, and the majority of the run for the both of them has had this cloud of mistreatment over their reputations. They were also both so unstoppably huge and popular.

I was in elementary school for DB5K's prime, and there were fans of kpop in the west but I can't tell you what their success across Asia looked like as someone who wasn't there. But I can tell you, between 2015-2016 when kpop gradually started to become very big, EXO for a time were bringing in more people to kpop than A Particularly Famous Group in the West I Have No Interest in Naming Because I Don't Want Their Fucking Fans Derailing My Post With Unrelated Discourse While I'm Not Even Talking About Them. Just believe me there was a time when EXO were way more popular in the west than Said Band I Decline to Specify, the eclipse that happened was gradual, and to my understanding EXO continued to be the biggest thing in Asia despite that another one eventually cracked America more and I'm not denying that they did. Point is, EXO coming first was important to all of that, because I and several others wouldnt have heard of the one kpop group if EXO didnt get us all into kpop first from 2013-15/16.

That all said now, this was all very much not how I'd wanted EXO to actually end. This is crashing and burning. Much like TVXQ, EXO is not going to be able to have a reunion after this, because they'll never receive SM's blessing to work together. I mean, EXO-M never would. 12 member EXO hardly lasted for two years though and their prime was very new when people started leaving, so to be honest, I don't know if the kids getting into EXO in the 2020s would really care to see Luhan, Tao, and Someone Sitting In Prison Whose Name I've Uttered More Than I'd Like To.

But in a similar vain, while DB5K originally split into two, JYJ are all off in different directions now. Yoochun was fired. Junsu left C-Jes and made his own label. Jaejoong did the same recently. Could you tell I listen TVXQ? But yeah, now that there are more than 3-4 people departed from EXO, they've got former members going in a lot of different directions. Someone already said it but I hope Xiumin follows Luhan back now. Back in my day Xiuhan were so cute.

Also, since I managed not to slip this into the post anywhere.... these guys have been showing up to work. Every damn day they've been showing up to work, that's another reason why it's so shocking. Chen dropped a song days ago and Baekhyun has been doing shows, posting dance practices, EXO have been appearing together for their 11th anniversary and supposed upcoming comeback. Whaaat a slap in the face. I support CBX 100% though and you should too.

[happykjd]

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230524 exo-l japan fanboard update

exo-l japan~ it's the sixth anniversary of cbx's debut in japan! thank you for always giving so much love. i'm happy that this year too i'm able to share this message with you from my heart. there are many memories of being hot during the japan events, tours, and contents. i hope everyone has a happy day today listening to exo-cbx's songs! it's a promise everyone, we'll see you soon! bye bye!