EXO-CBX Wins Injunction Suspending Contracts With INB100

Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin have won their bid to temporarily suspend their exclusive contracts with INB100, giving the EXO-CBX members the ability to pursue independent entertainment activities while their broader contract dispute moves through court.

The Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 50 granted the trio’s injunction on September 15. Their contracts with INB100 will remain suspended until the first-instance judgment in their lawsuit seeking confirmation that the contracts are no longer valid.

The court found that INB100 had an obligation to distribute settlement payments generated from the members’ entertainment activities but had failed to make those payments.

According to the court, that failure caused the underlying relationship of trust between the artists and agency to break down to a point where maintaining a normal exclusive relationship had become difficult.

The ruling also restricts INB100 from entering agreements with broadcasters or other third parties against the members’ wishes, requiring them to perform entertainment activities or interfering with their independent work.

The court further considered the potential consequences of leaving the contracts in force while the main lawsuit proceeds, finding that a prolonged case could significantly restrict the members’ independent activities during the remaining contract period.

Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin had previously notified INB100 that they were terminating their contracts over alleged unpaid contract and settlement payments. After the agency did not accept the termination, the members filed both the injunction and their main lawsuit challenging the contracts’ validity.

The September 15 decision marks a material development from the injunction application previously reported earlier this month: the members have now secured temporary legal freedom from the contracts while the underlying dispute remains unresolved.