EXO-CBX’s Contract Dispute Takes Another Turn After INB100 Fails To Appear In Court

EXO members Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin have taken another major step in their ongoing legal dispute with their agency, INB100. A Seoul Central District Court hearing concerning the trio’s request to suspend their exclusive contracts ended in less than ten minutes on September 7, after INB100 did not send a lawyer to court.

The hearing concerned an injunction sought by the three artists. They are asking the court to temporarily suspend their exclusive contracts with INB100 while a separate main lawsuit determining whether those contracts are legally valid moves forward.

According to the artists’ legal representative, INB100 CEO Cha Ga Won has been in custody and out of contact since the injunction application was filed. Because the agency did not have legal representation present at the hearing, the court session ended quickly.

The dispute has its roots in the trio’s relationship with their former agency structure. Baekhyun established INB100 in June 2023, and the company subsequently became part of the One Hundred label in May 2024. In April 2026, Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin notified the company that they intended to terminate their exclusive contracts, citing unpaid settlements.

The legal battle has now developed into two connected proceedings. The injunction seeks an immediate suspension of the contracts, while the main lawsuit asks the court to declare the agreements invalid altogether. If the injunction is granted, the contracts would remain suspended until a first-instance decision is reached in the main case.

The situation is particularly significant because all three artists remain members of EXO, one of SM Entertainment’s most commercially important boy groups. Their individual activities have increasingly operated outside SM’s direct management, but disputes involving their independent agency arrangements can still have implications for group promotions.

There is another serious development surrounding Cha Ga Won. He was indicted in August on fraud allegations involving approximately 3 billion won. His first reported hearing is scheduled for October 13. Importantly, he has not been convicted, and the allegations remain matters for the court.

The September 7 hearing therefore does not resolve the larger dispute.

Instead, fans are now waiting for the court’s decision on the injunction and for the main lawsuit to move forward.

For EXO-Ls, the next few months could be crucial in determining how Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin structure their future activities.