Noh Min Woo lost his bid in the lawsuit he filed against SM Entertainment, as the former TRAX member claimed that the agreements he signed with the agency is a "slave contract."
As per the reports, Noh sued SM Entertainment in April 2015 and was asking for around $90,000 or 100 million Korean won for compensation, All KPop reported. He claimed in his lawsuit that SM Entertainment purposely stopped their support for Noh and interfered with his promotions.
Seven months after Noh sued SM Entertainment, he released more details about his allegations against the agency. He added that the agency had poor management over his career when he was with TRAX from 2004 to 2006 and even after he left the group.
Noh shared that after he left TRAX, SM Entertainment did not manage him at all, as they did not offer him any opportunities to showcase his skills in singing and acting. Noh added that SM Entertainment pressured producing directors and production company executives as well as interfered with his entertainment-related activities. He was also reportedly made to play the drums even if he is a guitarist, resulting to emotional pressure.
SM Entertainment claims that Noh's statements and allegations are not true. They then threatened to take legal action against him.
During the trial, Noh claimed that as per SM Entertainment's demands, he agreed to extend his exclusive contract making him supposedly be under the agency for 17 years. He added that after he signed the contract, which included copyright for any original compositions or musical productions, is under the property of SM Entertainment for 10 years, Soompi reported. He claimed that he did not receive anything in return so that means that the exclusive contract should be invalid "as it goes against social order."
This July 20, SM Entertainment was found innocent of all the charges made by Noh against them. The court said in a statement, "The evidences provided were not enough to prove that SM Entertainment has continuously interfered with Noh Min Woo's promotion or lacked support. There is no concrete proof."
Noh has not issued any statement yet.