The legal war between former EXO member Z.Tao and SM Entertainment is heating up.

Z.Tao (Huang Zitao, also known as Tao) has reportedly filed a lawsuit against his agency SM Entertainment for termination of his contract, reports Koreaboo, but the entertainment company has promised to respond with "everything in their power."

Chinese media outlet Sina reported the breaking news of the lawsuit and published pages of paperwork filed with the courts.

The documents reveal that Z.Tao will be represented in the lawsuit by the same legal team that represent two other former EXO members, Kris (Wu Yi Fan) and Luhan. In their separate lawsuits, the stars are seeking to annul their contracts with SM Entertainment in order to freely pursue individual activities and careers in China.

In light of Z.Tao's lawsuit, SM Entertainment will reportedly mount a determined response.

"Our company plans to use everything in our power including both Korean and Chinese legal professionals and partners to respond legally both in Korea and China in a multi-faceted manner," SM Entertainment said in a statement as reported by Koreaboo. "We also plan to take legal steps to respond to Tao's illegal promotions and actions."

Z.Tao, previously known as Tao while promoting as part of the popular Korean boy group EXO, recently held a concert in Beijing and has also released his first solo EP T.A.O. SM Entertainment, on the other hand, has made attempts to thwart Z.Tao's Chinese promotions, including blocking his debut solo music video as a result of the label enforcing a copyright claim.

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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.