EXO’s Baekhyun Responds to Controversy Surrounding Pre-Shot Content Shared During Military Service

EXO’s Baekhyun made a special appearance on the latest episode of the YouTube talk show The K-Star Next Door on September 24, 2024, to promote his new album, Hello, World. Host Jonathan pointed out that Baekhyun was the pioneering K-pop artist to pre-film multiple pieces of content for his fans ahead of his military enlistment.

For those unfamiliar, Baekhyun commenced his mandatory military service on May 6, 2021, and concluded it on February 5, 2023. During this period, while he released a few K-drama soundtracks, his last official solo project prior to his enlistment was the album Bambi, released in March 2021.

During the talk show, Baekhyun addressed Jonathan’s inquiry, explaining that many viewers reported the non-profitable pre-recorded content he released.

“I heard there were so many complaints. There was a lot of controversy,”he remarked.

In 2021, Baekhyun’s pre-recorded video content was published monthly on the KyoongTube YouTube channel. However, some internet users interpreted it as a violation of military law and lodged complaints against the videos. Consequently, SM Entertainment announced they would remove the videos and cease any further postings until the idol completed his military service.

Insights into EXO’s Baekhyun’s Solo Career Following Military Service

After his military discharge, the Pineapple Slice singer terminated his solo contract with SM Entertainment alongside his bandmates Chen and Xiumin. On June 23, 2023, he launched his own label called INB100 and officially embarked on his solo career under this label starting January 2024.

Both Chen and Xiumin have also signed with INB100 for their solo projects. However, all three remain under contract with SM Entertainment for their group activities.

In June 2024, INB100 (Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin) initiated a counter-lawsuit against SM Entertainment, alleging contractual violations and inequitable profit distribution. They stated:

“At our press conference on June 10, we criticized SM for demanding 10 percent of our revenue while failing to uphold their commitment to a 5.5 percent distribution fee. […] Furthermore, during that press conference, we proposed an alternative agreement to pay a fee for SM’s music, assets, and name instead of the 10 percent revenue cut, which SM disregarded.”

Additionally, they lodged a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission against SM Entertainment for unethical business practices, proclaiming:

“Moreover, concerning the profit distribution that we always questioned, we will pursue legal action against SM regarding profit distribution. Through this lawsuit, we aim to assert our rightful claims by obtaining accounting and profit-distribution information as stipulated by law and our exclusive contracts. We will also demonstrate to the court that SM’s profit distribution system is incorrect.”

On September 6, 2024, EXO’s Baekhyun released his comeback EP, Hello, World, featuring the title track Pineapple Slice. This marked his return after more than three years since the release of Bambi in March 2021.

According to Hanteo Chart, Hello, World became Baekhyun’s first solo album to surpass one million copies sold in its initial week (September 6 to 12, 2024). Previously, his album Bambi had also achieved triple-million seller status on the Hanteo chart in 2021.

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