While EXO-L ACE, the biggest EXO fan group in Korea aired their demand for Chen's removal from the group because of his surprise wedding and pregnancy news, global fans were rallying behind him and pledged their support for all members of EXO.
According to a report by Koreaboo, EXO-L ACE recently posted their demand for Chen's removal from the group citing that his irresponsible actions were causing division among the fandom. They further said that Chen's wedding news deeply hurt the fans. The group further claimed that Chen's decision to get married to his pregnant girlfriend would affect the overall image of EXO.
However, global fans are hitting back at Korean fans and pledged their complete and unconditional support for all members of EXO.
In its statement, EXO Global challenged local fans' pronouncement that they will not feel comfortable supporting EXO with Chen still part of the group.
They denounced the calls for Chen's expulsion from the group and said that his decisions about his personal life do not affect his dedication as an artist. They also noted that the demand of local fans does not represent the position of the entire fandom.
"Non-domestic fans have been the biggest contributors to EXO's yearly album sales that lead up to their million sellers recognition, as well as the biggest revenue in terms of international sales. EXO is a global group that should not be bound by outdated values that damage their personal worth and happiness," the group said in its statement.
Fans also took to social media to trend the hashtags #WeAreOneEXO and #AlwaysWithEXO. EXO-Ls on Twitter also trended #종대야_여기_있을게 (Jongdae We Will Be Here For You) and #SM_김종대_지켜 (SM Protect Kim Jongdae) to call SM Entertainment's attention to the sentiments of the fandom.
Meanwhile, EXO leader Suho also rallied the fans without directly addressing Chen's surprise news.
"We are at the stage where words are not needed & just a hand sign is enough," he captioned an image he shared on his Instagram. In his post, he shared a simple gesture that EXO-Ls took as a sign that EXO remains solid despite some issues in the fandom.
Many fans also copied Suho's gesture and shared their pictures on social media as a show of solidarity with the idol group.
It can be recalled that Chen recently announced plans to get married to his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his baby. While many fans congratulated the singer, some were unsupportive of the news.
