Luhan wants out of K-pop boyband Exo, files lawsuit against agency

24-year-old Chinese member Luhan of Korean boyband Exo has filed a lawsuit against talent agency SM Entertainment. -- PHOTO: SM ENTERTAINMENT 
24-year-old Chinese member Luhan of Korean boyband Exo has filed a lawsuit against talent agency SM Entertainment. -- PHOTO: SM ENTERTAINMENT 

Chinese member Luhan of popular boyband Exo reportedly wants out of the group, just five months after Kris did the same in May.

The 24-year-old is said to have filed a lawsuit on Friday morning against talent agency SM Entertainment, which manages Exo, according to Chinese media site Sina.

SM Entertainment has confirmed that Luhan has filed the lawsuit.

In a harshly worded statement, it condemned the actions of Luhan, calling it similar to Kris' case, saying that there is "no actual reason" for the lawsuit to be filed.

According to The Korea Herald, the statement added: "It is likely that, upon gaining immense popularity through (Exo), he is putting his own interests ahead of the group activities and those who are engaged in the contract."

In other media reports, SM Entertainment claims that someone is "pulling the strings" behind the scenes and influencing Luhan's decision.

Korea Herald also reported that Luhan has engaged the same law firm that represents Kris - Hankyul Law Group.

In Kris' lawsuit against the agency, he claims that the company treated him "like a machine part or as an object of control".

K-pop entertainment site allkpop reported in July that Kris' representatives and SM Entertainment had entered a mediation session at Seoul Central District Court. However, the two parties were reportedly unable to reach an agreement.

Speculation had already spread that Luhan would follow Kris out the door because he has been calling in sick and was absent from recent concerts. He did not perform at Exo's concerts in Bangkok and Thailand last month, and neither was he present at the label's concert SMTown Live Tokyo concert earlier this month.

This has been a bad year for SM Entertainment. Just last month, it booted A-list member Jessica Jung from titan girl group Girls' Generation.

Exo's double-exit whammy comes at the height of their popularity. Originally a 12-man band, they hit the jackpot last year with chart-topping dance tune Growl, which was named Song of the Year at the 2013 Melon Music Awards, a major K-pop award ceremony.

Their addictive hit Overdose this year reportedly had over a million views on YouTube within 10 hours after its release.

Exo embarked on their first concert tour, sans Kris, earlier in May. Tickets to their two concerts in Seoul were sold out in seconds, and another show had to be added due to overwhelming demand.

They performed to a full-house 8,000-strong crowd at their Singapore stop in August.

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