Taemin & Baekhyun Appeared but Xiumin Banned from Music Bank by SM? Who’s Lying? MC Mong Criticizes SM

Recently, KBS responded to EXO’s Xiumin’s agency, which claimed that KBS unfairly not allow Xiumin from appearing on “Music Bank”. In particular, the broadcasting station stated, that such claims were false and that they are in direct contact with Xiumin’s agency.

Meanwhile, the agency of Xiumin previously stated, “Xiumin, under INB100, is set to release his solo album ‘Interview X’ on March 10, marking his return after two years and six months. We made multiple attempts to arrange meetings with the broadcasting station to ensure a great performance, but KBS has completely ignored our requests and refused to respond.”

They further revealed, “Recently, KBS informally communicated that it would be impossible for Xiumin to appear on programs like KBS2’s Music Bank alongside other artists from SM Entertainment.”

The agency emphasized their efforts to resolve the issue, stating, “We have continuously tried to contact KBS, urging them to prioritize artists and their fans. However, even these efforts have been ignored.”

Expressing their frustration, the agency added, “As a public broadcasting station, KBS’s decision to reflect only the stance of a specific company is deeply unfair. Despite our best efforts to resolve this situation, we regret having to share such disappointing news with fans. While Xiumin’s appearance on KBS is currently impossible, we will not give up for the sake of our artist and fans. We promise to explore alternative opportunities and create even better events and performances in the near future.”

The contrasting claims between INB100 and KBS has led to mixed reactions, as netizens struggle to believe in the words of just one party. Some have pointed out that EXO’s Baekhyun, SHINee’s Taemin, Badvillain, and other singers affiliated with labels under INB100 were not denied their appearances on KBS’s “Music Bank”.

Therefore, If the agency’s claims are true, then at least former SM artists like Taemin and Baekhyun would not have had an easy time appearing on “Music Bank”. Moreover, Badvillain’s activities overlapped with Red Velvet’s Irene and NCT Dream’s. Xiumin also served as an MC on an KBS2’s show from May to July last year, sparking suspicion about the claims.

On the morning of the 5th, MC Mong posted a lengthy message on his personal social media along with a screenshot from a Korean dictionary showing the search result for “슴.” In the K-pop industry, “슴” is commonly understood to refer to SM.

MC Mong wrote “Your name suits you well. Do you remember coming to my house to apologize? You guys are trapped on your own little island, doing nothing but barbaric and violent things. As adults, isn’t this embarrassing? Keep going with this nonsense. Someone who has never even made music is leading A&R, and an ignorant manager is acting like a CEO while running wild. Your ignorance and greed have gone too far soon, you’ll be the only ones left. I promise you that.

Lee, you said that to me, didn’t you? At the law firm, you told me you wanted to protect me from your uncle’s actions things like blocking broadcasts and other incomprehensible behaviors. But you’re worse than a snake. Watching you insult your uncle while stealing everything from him, learning from it, and doing even worse I get chills. You pretend to be kind, to be good, all while tormenting the weak. Now that you’re older, what you’re doing with your power is worse than school bullying. I even have evidence should I release the recordings too? Still thinking about it.

I don’t care at all if you guys spread ridiculous rumors about me. But this time, you messed with the wrong thing. You guys can’t even provide a proper settlement statement in 2025. Truly ‘SM-like’ more like beast-like” 

Xiumin transferred to INB100 under ONE HUNDRED Label in 2023. His second mini-album, “Interview X,” set for release on March 10, marks his solo comeback after nearly three years.

Full Statement from ONE HUNDRED Label

Hello, this is ONE HUNDRED.

We would like to address an important matter concerning our label artist’s appearance on KBS.

Xiumin, an artist under INB100, is set to release his solo album “Interview X” on March 10, marking his return after two years and six months.

Given the significance of this solo comeback, our team has made continuous efforts to arrange meetings with broadcasting stations to ensure Xiumin could showcase a great performance for his fans on music shows. However, KBS has remained completely unresponsive to our attempts at communication.

Recently, KBS unofficially conveyed that Xiumin would not be allowed to appear on KBS2’s “Music Bank” or other programs featuring SM Entertainment artists.

Although this position was difficult to accept, we continued to reach out to KBS, urging them to prioritize the interests of the artist and his fans. However, even these efforts were ignored.

We believe that a public broadcasting station blocking an artist’s participation not due to musical reasons, but because of business-related matters with a specific company, is an unjust restriction that deprives artists of their right to connect with their fans.

If this unfair situation continues, our artists will be repeatedly denied music show appearances during the promotion periods of SM Entertainment artists.

We find it deeply unjust that KBS, as a public broadcaster, has made a decision based solely on the stance of a particular company. We have done our utmost to resolve this issue, but we sincerely regret having to share such unfortunate news with fans.

Regarding KBS’s decision, which has not only affected Xiumin but also placed obstacles in the way of other artists appearing on “Music Bank,” we will continue striving to ensure fairness. We are committed to preventing further instances of artists suffering from such unfair broadcasting practices.

Although Xiumin is currently unable to appear on KBS, we will not give up. We promise to explore alternative opportunities to create even more memorable performances and events for both the artist and his fans.

Once again, we sincerely apologize for disappointing both our artists and their fans. We will continue working tirelessly to correct unfair practices and remain a company that truly prioritizes its artists.

Thank you.