Days ago, the soon to be former Super Junior member (God forbid) Han Geng/Han Kyung, who is requesting for a contract termination from previous agency, SM Entertainment, appeared on one of Beijing’s National Television networks, spilling the reasons why after 8 long years (4 years as a trainee and 4 years as a Super Junior member) of being part of the SM Family, he finally decided to part ways with not just the management company, but also his group, Super Junior. It can be remembered that he filled a lawsuit against SM at the later end of 2009, following the footsteps of other popular and homegrown SM singers like the trio of DBSK/TVXQ/THSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki/Tohoshinki), that is Micky (Park Yoochun), Hero (Kim Jaejoong) and Xiah (Kim Junsu), leaving their two other band mates, U-Know (Jung Yunho) and Max (Shim Changmin) behind SM Entertainments side. Recently, the three have been doing group activities together, under the group name “JaeChunSu” in Japan, holding a thanksgiving concert to all their Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome.

As for Han Geng’s contract termination issue, after the spread of the news late last year, it was also rumored that 5 other Super Junior members, apart from him, also filed contract termination cases in the higher courts of Korea. SM Ent later dismissed the speculations of the general public after releasing an official statement that Leeteuk, Yesung, Kangin, Eunhyuk and Donghae are still with them, in contrary to the reports that they have followed fellow member Han Geng’s footsteps.

After the release of their 4th album “Bonamana”, Super Junior still remains as one of the strongest and most popular acts in Asia today, both in album sales and in music charts, after the big blow that this series of unfortunate events have caused them. Each of the members have suffered varying degrees of sadness after the hiatus when it was revealed to the public that Heechul for one, who is closest to both Han Geng and Ki Bum (the absently Super Junior member who has been inactive for almost 2 years because of his acting career), didn’t have a single idea that this was coming up. The three lived in one dorm together, separate from all the other members (probably because of their number) so it was initially hard for him, as his best buddies were slowly drifted away from his company. Fresh from Kang In’s DUI assault case in the middle of 2009, group leader Leeteuk could only say that because they regard each other as brothers rather than co-singers, and that they were too comfortable thinking nothing was wrong, it came as a surprise to them because they barely had time to talk about each others’ sorrows.

At this point, let us examine the reasons why Han Geng had to pack his bags and leave Korea, to start anew in China. The full details of Han Geng’s contract termination case was divulged in portal sites a few months ago: (courtesy of allkpop)

1. The accusation argues that SME was the dominant party in signing of the contract and thus it was written in their favor. When the contract was first signed in January 2003, Hankyung was only 17 years old and he did not have sufficient information on the Korean entertainment industry. Two updates made to the contract in February and December of 2007 were also led by SME and Hankyung had no choice but to accept what was offered by SME.

2. The length of the contract is 13 years. When the contract was first signed, it was to last for 10 years after the release of Super Junior’s first album. After the two updates, the length was extended to 13 years. The contract would last at least until December 2018, when Hankyung would become 34 years old. The contract extends automatically when Hankyung takes break for personal reasons, so the actual length could be much longer than 13 years. The accusation calls this a great invasion of Hankyung’s basic human rights.

3. The contract enforces heavy financial punishment in case of a breach of contract, preventing Hankyung from seeking release. If Hankyung was to breach the contract and move to another entertainment company, he has to compensate SME for 3 times what they invested in him and double what he would have earned for SME during remaining period of the contract. The accusation argues that this makes it impossible for Hankyung to leave SME.

4. The terms on rights and division of responsibilities are unfair towards Hankyung. SME is responsible for vague tasks such as “management of the artist’s popularity” and natural tasks such as “notifying the artist of new schedules”. On the other hand, Hankyung is to follow SME’s decisions without question and without having any rights for adjustment of the contract, making the contract unfair for Hankyung, according to the accusation.

5. The contract made Hankyung overwork. He was forced to pay $10 during his training period for his first offense of being late, being absent, disobedience etc. and $20 per offense after. When he could not be contacted for more than a day, SME was given the right to null their contract. After his debut as a member of Super Junior, if his disobedience resulted in damage of less than $5,000 to SME then he was to compensate $5000; if the damage exceeded that amount then he was required to compensate for whatever the damage he caused. He had no right to present his opinion on any matter, and was forced to follow SME’s instructions at all times. The accusation says that Hankyung has lost his confidence due to these reasons. Due to the fifth reason, Hankyung has not been able to rest for a sufficient amount of time since Super Junior’s debut. The accusation argues that he hasn’t had a break for last 2 years due to his busy schedule. Because the contract enforces heavy financial punishment and automatic extension of the contract length, he had to continue performing in poor health. According to his representatives he suffers from gastritis and kidney problems resulting from high stress, as well as back pain and exhaustion. He frequently asked for a break due to medical reasons but they were all turned down, the accusation claims.

6. He was not given proper rights regarding profit and products of his performance. Rights to all songs and albums belong to SME, even if the song was written by the artist. Profit division was favored towards SME; in case of albums, Super Junior received 2% of the revenue only if the album sold more than 50,000 copies, for digital sales they received 10% of the net profit; for revenue from overseas they were given 60% of net profit. Album sales meant nothing to the artists as 2% of the revenue was divided among 13 members. Digital sales and foreign income were given to artists only when profit was made, allowing SME free from risk of losing money, according to the accusation.

Going back to the video of SME’s human rights violations to talents, according to Han Geng, as seen on the video excerpt above, I was really surprised when he divulged that a certain manager who works for SME, whoever he is, changed the flow rate of the IV infusion that he was receiving to a fast drip. We know for a fact that this warrants a doctor’s order because an IV infusion rate cannot just be increased or decreased just because one wants to. I was beyond disappointed when that manager pulled the needle from the site out of the blue, during the infusion just because of that Awards ceremony they were supposed to attend to. That can be very dangerous because it can lead to circulatory overload and even pulmonary edema. This can be an emergency situation because it can further lead to other respiratory complications.

A number of popular idol groups and singers are managed by SME, so much to my dismay, SME is still Korea’s biggest and highest earning entertainment company today. With the looks of it, it seems that there’s no stopping them from expanding their horizons to the rest of Asia and the world. Recently, representatives from the company have attended the “Fair Contract Terms” event with some of their talents namely Kangta, and SNSD’s (otherwise Girl’s Generation) Yuri and Sooyoung. It seems like they have vowed to change for the better, but we’ll see how they’ll do in the future. With finality, I can say that I am happy because I can see that Han Geng is doing well on his own. He has been the talk of the town recently with the release of the album jackets, and a couple of tracks from this first album as a solo singer, in his activities in Mainland China. He is currently working with some of the world’s best music producers and hit makers. Michael Jackson’s dance instructors to be very specific. A couple of days from now, he will showcase his solo concert in two different places in China, and I hope it will be a big hit. It is as promising as it is, knowing that the concert tickets have been sold out immediately after a short period of time from being sold online. As for the verdict of his case with SME, fans will definitely keep an eye on that. At this point, I can only wish one thing. That is to see all the members of Super Junior, back together again, doing activities as a group once more, singing songs together; on music shows and awards ceremonies, and even on variety shows. After all, a fan can dream, right? :)

This is by the way, a longer interview with Han Geng talking about his life after Super Junior, his feelings towards SME, his future plans, thoughts on new and emerging boy groups, his message to his fans, and missing his Super Junior buddies.

This is a Han Geng tribute made by an avid fan:

A slideshow of photos featuring the 3 currently absent Super Junior members Han Geng, Ki Bum and Kang In:

Days ago, the soon to be former Super Junior member (God forbid) Han Geng/Han Kyung, who is requesting for a contract termination from previous agency, SM Entertainment, appeared on one of Beijing’s National Television networks, spilling the reasons why after 8 long years (4 years as a trainee and 4 years as a Super Junior member) of being part of the SM Family, he finally decided to part ways with not just the management company, but also his group, Super Junior. It can be remembered that he filled a lawsuit against SM at the later end of 2009, following the footsteps of other popular and homegrown SM singers like the trio of DBSK/TVXQ/THSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki/Tohoshinki), that is Micky (Park Yoochun), Hero (Kim Jaejoong) and Xiah (Kim Junsu), leaving their two other band mates, U-Know (Jung Yunho) and Max (Shim Changmin) behind SM Entertainments side. Recently, the three have been doing group activities together, under the group name “JaeChunSu” in Japan, holding a thanksgiving concert to all their Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome.

As for Han Geng’s contract termination issue, after the spread of the news late last year, it was also rumored that 5 other Super Junior members, apart from him, also filed contract termination cases in the higher courts of Korea. SM Ent later dismissed the speculations of the general public after releasing an official statement that Leeteuk, Yesung, Kangin, Eunhyuk and Donghae are still with them, in contrary to the reports that they have followed fellow member Han Geng’s footsteps.

After the release of their 4th album “Bonamana”, Super Junior still remains as one of the strongest and most popular acts in Asia today, both in album sales and in music charts, after the big blow that this series of unfortunate events have caused them. Each of the members have suffered varying degrees of sadness after the hiatus when it was revealed to the public that Heechul for one, who is closest to both Han Geng and Ki Bum (the absently Super Junior member who has been inactive for almost 2 years because of his acting career), didn’t have a single idea that this was coming up. The three lived in one dorm together, separate from all the other members (probably because of their number) so it was initially hard for him, as his best buddies were slowly drifted away from his company. Fresh from Kang In’s DUI assault case in the middle of 2009, group leader Leeteuk could only say that because they regard each other as brothers rather than co-singers, and that they were too comfortable thinking nothing was wrong, it came as a surprise to them because they barely had time to talk about each others’ sorrows.

At this point, let us examine the reasons why Han Geng had to pack his bags and leave Korea, to start anew in China. The full details of Han Geng’s contract termination case was divulged in portal sites a few months ago: (courtesy of allkpop)

1. The accusation argues that SME was the dominant party in signing of the contract and thus it was written in their favor. When the contract was first signed in January 2003, Hankyung was only 17 years old and he did not have sufficient information on the Korean entertainment industry. Two updates made to the contract in February and December of 2007 were also led by SME and Hankyung had no choice but to accept what was offered by SME.

2. The length of the contract is 13 years. When the contract was first signed, it was to last for 10 years after the release of Super Junior’s first album. After the two updates, the length was extended to 13 years. The contract would last at least until December 2018, when Hankyung would become 34 years old. The contract extends automatically when Hankyung takes break for personal reasons, so the actual length could be much longer than 13 years. The accusation calls this a great invasion of Hankyung’s basic human rights.

3. The contract enforces heavy financial punishment in case of a breach of contract, preventing Hankyung from seeking release. If Hankyung was to breach the contract and move to another entertainment company, he has to compensate SME for 3 times what they invested in him and double what he would have earned for SME during remaining period of the contract. The accusation argues that this makes it impossible for Hankyung to leave SME.

4. The terms on rights and division of responsibilities are unfair towards Hankyung. SME is responsible for vague tasks such as “management of the artist’s popularity” and natural tasks such as “notifying the artist of new schedules”. On the other hand, Hankyung is to follow SME’s decisions without question and without having any rights for adjustment of the contract, making the contract unfair for Hankyung, according to the accusation.

5. The contract made Hankyung overwork. He was forced to pay $10 during his training period for his first offense of being late, being absent, disobedience etc. and $20 per offense after. When he could not be contacted for more than a day, SME was given the right to null their contract. After his debut as a member of Super Junior, if his disobedience resulted in damage of less than $5,000 to SME then he was to compensate $5000; if the damage exceeded that amount then he was required to compensate for whatever the damage he caused. He had no right to present his opinion on any matter, and was forced to follow SME’s instructions at all times. The accusation says that Hankyung has lost his confidence due to these reasons. Due to the fifth reason, Hankyung has not been able to rest for a sufficient amount of time since Super Junior’s debut. The accusation argues that he hasn’t had a break for last 2 years due to his busy schedule. Because the contract enforces heavy financial punishment and automatic extension of the contract length, he had to continue performing in poor health. According to his representatives he suffers from gastritis and kidney problems resulting from high stress, as well as back pain and exhaustion. He frequently asked for a break due to medical reasons but they were all turned down, the accusation claims.

6. He was not given proper rights regarding profit and products of his performance. Rights to all songs and albums belong to SME, even if the song was written by the artist. Profit division was favored towards SME; in case of albums, Super Junior received 2% of the revenue only if the album sold more than 50,000 copies, for digital sales they received 10% of the net profit; for revenue from overseas they were given 60% of net profit. Album sales meant nothing to the artists as 2% of the revenue was divided among 13 members. Digital sales and foreign income were given to artists only when profit was made, allowing SME free from risk of losing money, according to the accusation.

Going back to the video of SME’s human rights violations to talents, according to Han Geng, as seen on the video excerpt above, I was really surprised when he divulged that a certain manager who works for SME, whoever he is, changed the flow rate of the IV infusion that he was receiving to a fast drip. We know for a fact that this warrants a doctor’s order because an IV infusion rate cannot just be increased or decreased just because one wants to. I was beyond disappointed when that manager pulled the needle from the site out of the blue, during the infusion just because of that Awards ceremony they were supposed to attend to. That can be very dangerous because it can lead to circulatory overload and even pulmonary edema. This can be an emergency situation because it can further lead to other respiratory complications.

A number of popular idol groups and singers are managed by SME, so much to my dismay, SME is still Korea’s biggest and highest earning entertainment company today. With the looks of it, it seems that there’s no stopping them from expanding their horizons to the rest of Asia and the world. Recently, representatives from the company have attended the “Fair Contract Terms” event with some of their talents namely Kangta, and SNSD’s (otherwise Girl’s Generation) Yuri and Sooyoung. It seems like they have vowed to change for the better, but we’ll see how they’ll do in the future. With finality, I can say that I am happy because I can see that Han Geng is doing well on his own. He has been the talk of the town recently with the release of the album jackets, and a couple of tracks from this first album as a solo singer, in his activities in Mainland China. He is currently working with some of the world’s best music producers and hit makers. Michael Jackson’s dance instructors to be very specific. A couple of days from now, he will showcase his solo concert in two different places in China, and I hope it will be a big hit. It is as promising as it is, knowing that the concert tickets have been sold out immediately after a short period of time from being sold online. As for the verdict of his case with SME, fans will definitely keep an eye on that. At this point, I can only wish one thing. That is to see all the members of Super Junior, back together again, doing activities as a group once more, singing songs together; on music shows and awards ceremonies, and even on variety shows. After all, a fan can dream, right? :)

This is by the way, a longer interview with Han Geng talking about his life after Super Junior, his feelings towards SME, his future plans, thoughts on new and emerging boy groups, his message to his fans, and missing his Super Junior buddies.

This is a Han Geng tribute made by an avid fan:

A slideshow of photos featuring the 3 currently absent Super Junior members Han Geng, Ki Bum and Kang In: