Actor and singer Lee Seung-gi has stated that he has not yet received settlement payments from his former agency, Hook Entertainment, and expressed hope that the proposed “Lee Seung-gi Situation Prevention Law” would prevent similar issues for junior artists. On the morning of the 15th, a civil hearing was held at the Seoul Central District Court regarding Hook Entertainment’s lawsuit for non-existence of debt against Lee Seung-gi. Both Lee and legal representatives from both sides attended the session.
During the hearing, Lee Seung-gi’s legal team maintained that they had not received appropriate settlements from Hook Entertainment, while Hook Entertainment claimed they had, in fact, overpaid Lee. In November 2022, Lee Seung-gi revealed that he had not received any payment for music usage rights during his 18-year tenure with Hook Entertainment and sent a formal request for unpaid settlements. In December 2022, Hook Entertainment sent Lee Seung-gi 5.4 billion won as unpaid settlements and interest, of which Lee donated 5 billion won excluding litigation costs to society.
Hook Entertainment, who filed the lawsuit, argued that they overpaid Lee Seung-gi by 900 million won for advertising activities and requested a refund. Lee Seung-gi’s team countered with recently acquired data showing that unpaid settlements amount to 9.6 billion won, indicating they should receive an additional 3 billion won from Hook.
In a statement during the second hearing in May, Lee Seung-gi expressed frustration over the lack of transparency regarding music royalties, which he became aware of only in 2021, and emphasized the betrayal he felt by the company and its representative, Kwon Jin-young. He also disclosed that he was misrepresented as someone solely focused on money whenever he would discuss financial matters with Kwon, who made disheartening remarks about him.
During the third hearing in September, a recorded conversation between Lee Seung-gi and an executive from Hook Entertainment, referred to as Officer A, was presented. In the recording, the officer described Lee as a “minus” artist based on past contracts and marketing costs misrepresented as being for promotional efforts for Lee Seung-gi, including potentially illegal gifts to journalists, which was later refuted by B, the media liaison officer at the time.
Lee noted his disappointment in discovering such underhanded approaches, highlighting the enduring shame and betrayal he experienced from those he trusted and his commitment to ensuring no similar harm comes to younger artists.