SM takes legal action against TVXQ members

SM Entertainment, the talent powerhouse in charge of discovering and managing boy band TVXQ, has taken legal action against three of the group's members whose exclusive contract with the agency was nullified last year.

"On April 12, we filed an objection against the court's decision ordering provisional disposition of the contracts as well as a lawsuit to reclaim their validity," the agency stated through a press release Tuesday.

SM explained they had held off from taking legal action against Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun and Xiah Junsu last year "in an effort to see the group continue to exist" but made the move this week after "the three failed to officially express any intention of resuming their activities as a group and TVXQ recently halted their activities as a group in Japan."

Hero, Micky and Xiah had asked a court last July to invalidate their exclusive 13-year contract with SM to which the court ruled in favor of the young singers in an interim ruling, declaring that the agency will not interfere in their individual activities.

The five-man band had stopped working as a group in Korea ever since, although carrying on their activities in Japan including making TV and magazine appearances as well as releasing albums, until announcing on April 3 that the group would no longer pursue a singing career together.

Hero and Micky are currently in shooting for dramas while Xiah is preparing for a solo album release.

Since their debut in 2004, TVXQ has been one of the most successful K-pop acts in Asia who reportedly have the largest fanbase in the world.

They had enjoyed great success in the Japanese music industry in particular, becoming the first foreign artist to top the Oricon singles charts six times with their 27th single "Share the World/We are!" released last year.

They made music history in Japan again in early April, when they placed their single and album simultaneously within the top three slots of Oricon's singles and albums chart, the first time for a foreign artist to do so in 15 years.

Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr