EXO-CBX currently locked in a legal dispute with SM Entertainment, says it wants in on EXO’s full-group activities slated for December.
INB100, the trio’s agency, said it accepted all terms SM Entertainment (SM) proposed after a second court-mediated session on Oct. 2 and told the label it’s willing to settle “to make a year-end full-group comeback possible.” “As members of EXO, we promised fans we’d show up for full-team activities and we’ve been pulling out all the stops to make it happen,” the company added.
“To prioritize full-group activities, we cleared all personal schedules for December and waited for SM’s final response via our legal representatives,” INB100 continued. “While doing so, we saw announcements for an EXO fan meeting and a full-length album that did not include EXO-CBX.”
SM has since announced an EXO fan meeting in December and a new album in the first half of next year. The lineup lists SUHO, CHANYEOL, D.O., KAI and SEHUN, plus LAY ― the Chinese member who previously departed SM ― with EXO-CBX absent.
On Oct. 2, the court held a second mediation session in SM’s lawsuit to compel performance against EXO-CBX and the trio’s countersuit. After talks also fell through in the first round, both sides again failed to reach a deal, sending the case back to full litigation.
In 2023, EXO-CBX filed a complaint with Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, alleging SM failed to properly provide revenue settlement data. The parties later agreed the three members’ solo activities would proceed independently under new label INB100, while EXO group activities would remain under the existing exclusive contract.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)