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On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the CEO of SHINee's Onew's new agency, Griffin Entertainment, posted a now-deleted Instagram story allegedly calling out SM Entertainment for the cancellation of the group's activities and releases. Onew left SM Entertainment in April 2024 following the expiration of his contract with the company.
Following his 17-year-old career with SM, the idol signed with a one-year-old agency, Griffin Entertainment. However, despite the idol's departure from SM Entertainment, he remains a member of SHINee. Fans speculate that Griffin Entertainment allegedly called out SM Entertainment for leaving the idol out of most of SHINee's schedules and activities.
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The post also reportedly accused the agency of canceling SHINee's releases, including their Winter single, mini-album, and SMTOWN Live 2025. Therefore, the statement released by the CEO of Griffin Entertainment supposedly highlighted the alleged mistreatment and negligence of Onew as a SHINee member. The statement reads:
"Even this is a statement of conviction. Are we a standby team? Everyone is getting cancellations for the same reason—how much longer are we supposed to wait? Isn’t there an issue? Or, should we just stay quiet and live our lives without saying anything?"
All you need to know about SHINee Onew's departure from SM Entertainment
In April 2024, it was revealed that SHINee's Onew decided to part ways with SM Entertainment following the contract expiration. Along with him, Taemin left the agency and joined another agency named BPM Entertainment.
While much of the reason behind his departure was not explained in the statement, Onew talked about the same during his appearance on The Seasons talk show hosted by the South Korean rapper and singer Zico.
“To be honest, after being in such a great company for so long, I started to feel like I was getting too comfortable. So, I decided to take on more challenges and see what else I could do. It’s only been three to four months since I left,” Onew said when asked about the real reason behind his departure.
“I want to meet more people, share my voice, and have a positive impact, even if it’s just a little. Although I’m not perfect, I’m performing with the mindset of giving it my best,” he continued.
On the other hand, the idol also explained that while he's still active and included in SHINee, he aims to focus on his solo releases too for the time being.
“I’m doing solo activities on my own, but SHINee is still together. I haven’t left; we’re still doing things together. It feels like moving out from the main house but still being part of the family,” he shared.
Regardless, the CEO's Instagram story regarding the alleged criticism of SM Entertainment has now been deleted. Additionally, SM Entertainment has neither addressed nor responded to the allegations raised by the CEO of Griffin Entertainment.
In other news, SHINee's Key and Minho were the only attendees of the ongoing SM TOWN Live 2025 as they stand as the only two SHINee members under SM Entertainment.
