Some members of EXO's fandom eventually turned its back on EXO's Chen, with a real name Kim Jongdae. EXO's main vocalist Chen abruptly announced her marriage and premarital pregnancy this January.
On the 19th, some eEXO-ls ACE protested at the SMtown Cooex Artium from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.Their goal was to have at least 200 members, though only seven people participated. Due to this, EXO-Ls who want Chen to stay in the group were trending and showing around their support for the member and proving that their decision will still dominate than those who wish to Chen's out of the group.
EXO-L, the official fan club of the group EXO, signalled a protest demanding member Chen leave the team. As on the 13th of January, Chen first frankly informed fans of his marriage and the bride-to-be's pregnancy on his official social media account. And soon as the announcement, it caused a division of the fan club, for those who support Chen's decisions and those who don't. And two days later, a movement began demanding Chen's withdrawal from EXO.
Among them, the Korean union called EXO-L Ace announced recently that their planned rally reported. They had previously mentioned that they would protest if SM Entertainment had no answer soon about this idea. Meanwhile, the union has a target that they reportedly in need of 200 people to participate in the protest.
While Chen, the main vocal of EXO, announced the news of marriage and pregnancy at the same time on the 13th of January, the official fandom EXO-L Ace union issued a statement calling for Chen's removal.
"The EXO-L Ace Union (EXO-L) decided that the forced activities of Chen, a member of the EXO-L, which caused great injury and confusion to fans, would bring about a huge setback to the group's image," the EXO-L Ace said. "We are going to announce a statement for SM Entertainment requesting Chen's removal from the team. Not only are there labels on EXO-related articles such as 'marriage idol' and 'murder idol' but there are also gossip stories that generate rumours for other members."
Also, "The fragmentation and breakdown of EXO's fandom are serious. Chen's irresponsible moves have led to an unusual split in the fandom," adding, "With the loss of trust in the members, many EXO-Ls can no longer support Chen. It is negatively affecting individual members, groups and companies alike," as the statement mentioned.
They added, "The unstable group schedule is detrimental to both fandom and artists. "Many paid members with substantial purchasing power in the fandom are eager to leave Chen."
They claimed that the image of the EXO is severely damaged, with Chen arbitrarily announcing his marriage and declaring that he will go ahead with his activities afterwards and that there is a rift in the fandom. He also wrote that without Chen's ouster, EXO-L could no longer give full support to EXO. In particular, paid members with real purchasing power in their fandoms said they were eager to oust Chen.
They demanded that EXO member Chen's expulsion from the team, along with EXO member Chen's planned group activities, be made known precisely about what happened or changed due to Chen's situation. It also requested artist protection and portal site search word management.
