Right now there's no official news on them breaking up. There's just a really heated lawsuit going on between Yoochun, Jaejoong, Junsu and SME. I'm not going to lie, the way things are going they may end up breaking up, but like I said no on can really be sure. It seems, in my opinion, that after having such a huge lawsuit and practically a war with the entertainment company, it'll probably be impossible for them to go back to the way they were. So even if they don't split up, it will probably be the most awkward group ever.
At the moment the group is still doing activities in Japan, but it's been stated that it's impossible for them to make a comeback in Korea next year, although it was planned. There's a lot of drama going on, but like I said before, so far there hasn't been an official statement of disbandment or anything. Your friend was probably lying to you or confused, which is understandable considering the insane events that have been taking place for the past few months.
This is a site I check frequently for news. Type in TVXQ on the search bar, it should post articles about them in order from newest to oldest, that should bring you up to speed with what's going on in the world of TVXQ. Of course checking out their international forums may be even better, Cassiopeia's on top of everything to do with them.
http://linkbee.com/DOZ4P