South Korean entertainment company, SM Entertainment, confirmed their win on a case against former EXO member Tao. However, Tao's legal team also released their defense against the SM's allegations on the Chinese artist.
As reported by All K-pop, SM Entertainment released a statement declaring their victory in a case against Hwang Zi Tao/Tao who was a former employee in the company. The company claimed that Tao wasn't able to repay the 'temporary payment' on its due date and in a specific bank account.
They also indicated that Tao violated the 'sportsmanship of a contract' and 'God's principle of integrity' which are values emphasized in China. However, according to Yibada, Tao's legal team released the statement to counter the words of the Korean entertainment company.
Tao's legal and management team recently asserted that he actually made efforts to pay back the 'temporary payment' given to him but did not receive specific bank account numbers to deliver the payment.
"In actuality, there was no specific bank account numbers given to Tao's representatives and that he didn't violate any single contract or agreement. The filing of a lawsuit was intentional just to kill time.", Tao's team stated.
Furthermore, they claimed that SM Entertainment's words were overstated in order to garner public sympathy. "SM overstated their words with deliberate statements to move public sentiments with negative judgments that harm China and Korea's cultural exchanges.", the team added.
As reported by Movie News Guide, Tao made his exit from the boyband EXO after his father posted an open letter in the Chinese website, Weibo, saying that Tao's injuries were not properly taken care of. The post also claimed that SM and Tao's father talked about a private workshop but eventually did not happen.
SM Entertainment gave Tao his 'temporary payment' in April following his absence from the group's activities. He eventually filed a lawsuit to nullify his contract with the company. Aside from Tao, SM is also facing legal battles against other former members of the group, Kris and Luhan.
