SM Entertainment announced that in preparation for EXO members' upcoming enlistment to the military, the members will be concentrating on unit projects and solo debuts this year.
The agency also remained firm that EXO will remain with nine members amid Chen's recent wedding news.According to Soompi, SM Entertainment made a statement to appease fans' worries over the fate of the members with the anticipated enlistment of four members this year. EXO's 1991 liner Suho is expected to enlist this year while 1992 liners Baekhyun, Chen, and Chanyeol are also expected to be called to report in 2020.
If this happens, only the maknae line of Kai and Sehun will be left to promote as EXO while their hyungs are fulfilling their mandatory military service. Eldest member Xiumin is expected to be discharged by December this year while D.O. who enlisted soon after Xiumin will complete his enlistment by next January.
"There are members who have military enlistment approaching ahead, so it was planned since last year for EXO's activities this year to be focused on solo and unit activities. The members' activities will be revealed one by one. The EXO members will continue to promote in various ways as EXO, solo artists, and units, and they will repay the love of fans," the agency said.
Meanwhile, the label also maintained that all the members unanimously agreed that they will remain as a nine-member group despite strong calls to expel Chen from the group after he announced his plans to wed his pregnant girlfriend last January.
It can be recalled that a faction of EXO-Ls from Korea immediately demanded the removal of Chen from EXO, calling his announcement a betrayal to fans who supported him. They also said that Chen's actions will have negative implications on the image of the group as a whole.
To express their point, they hired a digital signage truck and even staged a physical protest in front of the SM Entertainment to ask the agency to remove Chen from the group. However, only a few people attended the protest.
Global fans, on the other hand, rallied behind all nine members of EXO and said that they should be able to pursue their happiness without being limited by outdated standards set by fans.
In response, Chen apologized deeply for hurting the fans and said that he remains sincere to them even though his message was delivered poorly. EXO is currently promoting with six members including Suho, Baekhyun, Kai, Chanyeol, Chen and Sehun. Lay is currently busy in China working on some solo projects but he remains part of the group.
