Korean talent outfit SM Entertainment confirms that they are currently involved in a dispute with the father of EXO's Chinese member Huang Zi Tao, also sharing their hopes that the idol will stay under the company.

On April 22, Chinese news portal Sina reported that Tao's father allegedly wrote a lengthy post on Weibo, which revealed why he decided to bring the idol back to his hometown in China. Tao's father aired his grievances against SM Entertainment for not attempting to make measures to prevent his son from getting injured further.

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The message also reportedly contained his father's wish to have the idol's contract with SM Entertainment terminated and for Tao to withdraw from EXO.

According to media reports, Tao's father accused SM Entertainment of not treating his son well despite the injuries he has sustained during promotions. Furthermore, said message stated that the company changed business plans which involved the 22-year old idol without telling him.

On April 23, SM Entertainment also released a statement regarding the message, confirming the dispute with Tao's father.

"SM Entertainment will protect its final position," the representative of the company stated, referring to their dismissal of the reports which claimed that Tao is leaving EXO. 

The company further expressed their disappointment over the message that Tao's father uploaded via Weibo, saying, "We are currently in the process of continuously discussing the various activities for Tao in China with Tao and his father, it's unfortunate that Tao's father would post such an article."

SM Entertainment says that they would like to 'explore Tao's developmental direction' for them to be able to find a lucrative way to solve the problems based on his father's aired grievances.

On the one hand, Tao is still in China, recuperating from a leg injury which was previously reported to have worsened following EXO's comeback.  He is currently unable to attend the group's promotions.

TagsEXO, EXO Tao, Tao, Huang Zi Tao, SM Entertainment