SHINee's Taemin, Onew to leave SM Entertainment: Reports

Members Taemin, left, and Onew of boy band SHINee [NEWS1, SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Taemin and Onew of boy band SHINee are leaving their agency SM Entertainment, reports said Tuesday.

The two SHINee members' contract with SM Entertainment will expire within the first half of this year. Taemin has decided to sign with another agency named Big Planet Made, and Onew is "seeking options," according to media reports.

SM Entertainment has yet to make a comment.

SHINee debuted in May 2008 as the sixth male act under SM Entertainment. The band saw a blowout debut with "Replay" (2008) and left some of the biggest hits in K-pop including "Ring Ding Dong" (2009), "LUCIFER" (2010), "Sherlock" (2012) and "Dream Girl" (2013).

Bandmates started releasing solo music back in 2014, starting with member Taemin.

SHINee debuted with five members — leader Onew, Key, Minho, Taemin and late member Jonghyun. Jonghyun died by suicide at age 27 in December 2017, but the band still introduces itself as a five-member band and SM Entertainment has kept Jonghyun on the list of members on the company's official website.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]