EXO-CBX Reportedly Files Legal Action Against Cha Ga Won’s INB100 Over Unpaid Settlements

EXO‘s Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin, known together as CBX, previously clashed with SM Entertainment over settlement issues, and have now reportedly taken legal action against Cha Ga Won’s INB100, under One Hundred, citing unpaid settlements.

According to legal industry sources on September 7th, CBX has reportedly filed an injunction to suspend the effect of their exclusive contract with INB100, a label under One Hundred. The Seoul Central District Court’s 50th Civil Division is set to hold a related hearing on the matter.

CBX had previously notified INB100 of their intent to terminate their exclusive contract in late April, citing unpaid settlements and other contract violations. However, as issues surrounding the contractual relationship remained unresolved, the matter has now reportedly escalated to a court ruling.

This isn’t the first settlement dispute for the trio. Back in June 2023, CBX notified SM of their intent to terminate their exclusive contract, claiming the agency had failed to adequately provide settlement documentation. The two sides later resolved the conflict by agreeing to maintain their exclusive contract with SM while handling the members’ individual activities through a separate company.

The following year, in June 2024, CBX’s side held a press conference claiming SM was demanding 10% of revenue from their individual activities while failing to honor the previously agreed 5.5% distribution fee rate for album and music sales. At that press conference, Cha Ga Won himself stated, “We are about to begin a full-scale war with SM once again,” demanding SM provide settlement documentation for the members.

Now, roughly two years later, the situation has completely reversed — Cha Ga Won’s own company, which once stood alongside CBX in demanding settlement transparency from SM, is the one now reportedly being taken to court by CBX over unpaid settlements.

Adding to the intrigue are SM’s previous “tampering” allegations. INB100, founded by Baekhyun, was absorbed in May 2024 into One Hundred, a company jointly invested in by Cha Ga Won and MC Mong. After news of the absorption broke, SM accused Cha Ga Won and MC Mong of “unfair inducement (tampering)” targeting SM’s own artists, as previously reported.

The legal disputes between CBX and SM have also continued in parallel. SM filed a lawsuit seeking contract fulfillment, claiming CBX never paid the agreed 10% of individual activity revenue from the 2023 settlement, while CBX filed their own lawsuit against SM seeking settlement payments — a saga that has included CBX losing several lawsuits against SM and, more recently, INB100 reportedly facing separate financial troubles with Xiumin’s own work being affected.

Source: (A)