Singer-turned-actor No Min Woo filed a lawsuit against his former label, S.M. Entertainment, in May, reportedly for the broadcast ban imposed on him alongside his former 17-year slave contract.
Having been TRAX’s drummer from 2004 to 2006, No Min Woo’s legal representatives claimed that he signed a 17-year contract due to S.M.’s unilateral terms for contract extension. Citing industry norms of contracts spanning a maximum of seven years, they continued that a contract of such length could be cancelled at any time by the artiste according to the Fair Trade Commission’s rules.
In addition, they shared that No Min Woo’s activities were halted once he showed signs of resistance towards his contract terms and that the label took active measures to block him from appearing on broadcast.
While S.M. previously shot down the accusations as groundless, investigations have formally begun on the case, with the Seoul Federal Trade Commission calling for No Min Woo and a representative from S.M. to present their sides of the story before proceeding further.
No Min Woo was in several supporting roles prior to his more prominent second male lead casting in 2010’s My Girlfriend is a Nine Tailed Fox (Lee Seung Gi, Shin Min Ah). His last role was as the lead character in MBC Drama’s My Unfortunate Boyfriend.