The '100 Days My Prince' star is reported to have opted out of renewing his contract with the company, while the rest of EXO's members are renewing theirs.
- Mar 13, 2019
AceShowbiz - Is EXO's D.O. leaving SM Entertainment? Rumors swirled that the K-Pop star is not renewing his contract with the company, which represents his group EXO. It was reported that the remaining eight members of the boyband have worked out their new contracts, but the 26-year-old singer/actor, whose real name is Do Kyung Soo, has decided not to extend his partnership with SM.
The news, which was first reported by The Asia Business Daily, also stated that D.O. is currently preparing for his solo promotions quietly. One industry source was quoted as saying, "It is known that all of the EXO members with the exception of Do Kyung Soo (D.O.) have agreed to renew their contracts. However, Do Kyung Soo eventually decided to not continue [with SM] after much contemplation over his contract."
However, SM has quickly debunked the reports. A representative for the agency said, "The report is completely false. We will release an official statement soon." Another representative stated, "There is a lot of time left before EXO's contracts expire."
D.O. launched his career as a member of EXO under SM in 2012. He made his acting debut in 2014 with a supporting role in the movie "Cart". He received praise for his performance on SBS' drama "It's Okay, That's Love" and was later nominated for the Best New Actor award at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards.
He has since landed bigger roles, such as playing Jo Jung Suk's on-screen brother in 2016's movie "My Annoying Brother" and playing a crown prince on "100 Days My Prince", which marked his first small-screen leading role.
EXO currently consists of nine members, including D.O., Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, Kai, Sehun and Xiumin. Three of the original members, Luhan, Kris and Tao, left the group in 2014 and 2015.
