TVXQ to continue with only two members: U-Know and Max

November 23, 2010 by J!-ENT 

With the whole debacle between TVXQ continuing and no plans for Junsu, Jejung, Yuchun (who have since formed the group JYJ) to return, SM Entertainment has released a statement of what will happen to the two remaining artists of TVXQ: U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. “After the 3 TVXQ members left, for over a long year, both U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin have refrained from musical activities. The two members as well as the company wanted to keep TVXQ alive, thinking about the never changing hearts of our loyal fans who have waited a long time. As indicated by the ruling, all of TVXQ’s activities need to be done through SM, unfortunately, the three members that left have regretfully not responded to any of our offers for activities as TVXQ. After long and careful consideration, we made this decision. For U-know Yunho and Max Changmin, who never left and kept their dreams as TVXQ, we have decided together with the two members to keep TVXQ alive. No matter what happens, we believe that TVXQ should continue for the love and trust of the fans who created TVXQ together with us. We are not ruling out any possibilities in the future. Continuing TVXQ is the best way to repay the fans who love and waited for TVXQ.”

In August 2009, Junsu, Jejung and Yuchun sued their management claiming that their contract signed between TVXQ and SM Entertainment was unfair.  A lower court sided with the three and ruled that certain parts of the contract should be invalidated and thus it allowed the three to pursue an individual music and advertisement career. The trio have since created their own group called JYJ and have recently collaborated with Kanye West and are being promoted on the Billboard (USA) Website.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a group has claimed their management/label was unfair to them. In the ’90s, Korean pop group H.O.T. were the hottest boy band similar to TVXQ and similar circumstances, the three members left the group and thus ending H.O.T. According to Time Magazine, ex-H.O.T. singer Tony An said, “We would complain that we never had enough money” and Lee Su Man of H.O.T. would say: ‘I even pay for your gas, what are you complaining about?’”.  According to the publication, while their albums would sell over a million copies, each member were paid only $10,000.

Unfortunately, with no resolution, it will appear as if the former bandmates may ended up going against each other in the music industry.