MAY 15, 2014

1. Sina Weibo is the first to report that they had learned that Kris was planning to file a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to nullify his exclusive contract. 

2. A Korean news outlet reports that they had gotten in touch with an SM representative and that company had stated that news of a lawsuit concerning Kris was “unheard of”. 

3. SM’s statement denying the lawsuit is later taken out of the original article all together and documents concerning Kris’ lawsuit is now searchable on Seoul District Court’s website.

4. SM confirms the news, stating that they were very “taken back” by Kris’ actions and hope it would not affect EXO’s current promotions and activities.

5. Lawyer Cho Bum Suk (who also represented former Super Junior member Hangeng in 2009 when he’d wanted his contract with SM terminated) is revealed to be representing Kris in the lawsuit and he states that he hopes the case will be resolved “quietly” and they would not saying anything more to the media.

6. SM Entertainment’s stock price drops by 5.87% just a couple of hours after news Kris’ lawsuit breaks.

7.Several sources claim that SM had violated Kris’ human rights and that he suffered “financial difficulties” and “health problems” because of their treatment. None of these statements come from either Kris or his legal team. 

8. Tao unfollows Kris on both his Instagram and Weibo account.Chanyeol, Lay, and Luhan unfollow him on Instagram. Currently,Baekhyun is the only member that follows him on Instagram and Luhan and Lay still follow Kris on Weibo.

9. Not long after Tao, Chanyeol and Lay unfollow Kris on Instagram, Sehun uploads an elusive picture that may perhaps allude to the confusion surrounding Kris’ and SM case.

10. Originally, there had been several media reports stating that Kris would return to Korea on May 15th. It is later reported that Kris had cancelled his ticket at the last minute and was currently staying in Beijing.

11. An SM employee and EXO stylist makes a post on Instagram that possibly criticizes at Kris for filing a lawsuit against SM. He later deletes the post.

12. Suho becomes the first member to publicly speak out on the controversy, stating that he and the rest of the members had had a long discussion regarding the lawsuit and they had come to the conclusion that they did not understand Kris’ actions because there was no ill will between EXO and SM. He goes on to state that Kris’ actions were “irresponsible” and that he should apologize to both the group and SM.

13. Ray (a friend of Kris) leaves a message of support for Kris on Weibo:“Your efforts, your experience, no one knows better than me! I got your back bro!”.

14. Tao is the second member to speak out on the issue and he posts the following on his Instagram: “The road is long, you can go anywhere, no one can make the decision for anyone else. The truth is always hidden from the public. Perhaps the public would side with the minority, even if that’s not the truth. The truth is only known to those that actually experienced it - for example, the 11 members, our company SM, and the staff. But the good and the bad have been switched on the outside. You all cannot know what it feels like to be betrayed, and then after betrayal everyone is siding with the betrayer. You all can have your own opinion and stance, but I just want to say, regarding the truth, we have a clear conscience. If someone wants to leave, we can’t block them, as they tried to escape here and have done so successfully. Kept it as a secret from us and the company, and ended up not coming back. A lot of people have ambition, but hopefully everyone can use it in a good way. While training until we’re sweating like crazy, but then finding out that someone won’t come back, we need to prepare the concert from the beginning with only 11 people, it’s very tiring. EXO, love you~”.

15. After fan speculation that his Instagram post might have been done by SM and not Tao, he updates his Weibo with a few posts confirming his identity, stating “I’m EXO’s member Tao. I sent the messages on Weibo and Instagram. There’s nothing to hide. You cannot extinguish fire with paper - the right will always be right, and the wrong will always be wrong. Some people like to twist the truth, and some people choose to believe the twisted truth. Smart people would never twist the truth or believe in the twisted truth.”  The Weibo posts are later deleted.

16. Taiwanese actor and singer Ko Chen-tung, a friend of Kris’, updates his Instagram with a message of support for Kris: "Don’t apologize! With everyone like that, this only shows how much you all really love him! I guess if he knows, he’ll be really happy! This is the power of fans. But please leave some space for me and my fans to interact~" 

MAY 16, 2014

17. Tao once again speaks out on the issue using his Weibo account, stating: "What many people are seeing isn’t the truth. Many people like to stand on the side of the minority group. Many people don’t want to believe the truth. Many people wish that a certain person can walk with us until the end, while looking at our silver ocean. But that person already left us. Hope everything is good with you. EXO fighting~ I love you guys. Nothing in this world is impossible to me. No matter what happens, we’ll be together."