Taemin is grabbing attention for personally paying some of his staff members’ salaries during his recent contract termination process.
As reported by Sports Chosun on February 14, the SHINee member stepped in with his own money to support members of his team after their working environment became unstable. The situation reportedly arose amid allegations of unpaid wages surrounding his former agency, Big Planet Made Entertainment.
As uncertainty grew during the termination process, Taemin chose to directly cover part of the staff’s salaries to maintain the team he had worked with for years.
Rather than allowing his team to suffer during the agency’s internal issues, he stepped in to support them himself.
On the same day, Big Planet Made Entertainment officially announced that its exclusive contract with Taemin had ended. The company announced contract termination with the idol and asked for continued support for his future activities. Taemin has not publicly shared detailed reasons behind the termination.
Multiple reports suggest the contract ended amid serious financial and management issues at the agency. Taemin reportedly did not receive proper settlement payments for his world tour, which ran across 29 cities from August 2024 to April 2025, as well as for his Japan tour in September 2025. It is reported that he is owed more than 1 billion KRW, approximately $690,000 USD.
There were also claims that the company signed contracts with external businesses without his consent, which allegedly damaged trust between the two sides.
Big Planet Made Entertainment is led by Cha Ga Won, who also heads its parent company, One Hundred Label. The company has reportedly been facing financial difficulties, including allegations of unpaid taxes, asset seizures, and capital impairment. Reports claim that tens of billions of won in payments to artists and partners have been delayed, with overall unpaid balances said to exceed 100 billion KRW.
Taemin is not the only artist affected. Other artists under BPM and its related labels have reportedly experienced delayed payments. The affected artists included Lee Seung Gi, members of THE BOYZ under One Hundred Label, and EXO members Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin under subsidiary INB100. It is believed that Taemin’s departure could influence other artists’ decisions regarding their contracts.
Taemin, who debuted with SHINee in 2008 at just 14 years old, is now a successful solo artist.
After his contract with SM Entertainment expired in 2024, he signed with Big Planet Made Entertainment and continued both his solo and group activities. With his latest contract now concluded, attention is focused on whether he will join a new agency or pursue independent activities. Since he has kept his existing staff and personally supported them, some speculate that he may establish his own independent label.
Meanwhile, Taemin will perform at Coachella 2026 alongside BIGBANG and global girl group, KATSEYE.
