Singer-actor Lee Seung-gi’s side continues to emphasize that Hook Entertainment has not properly settled accounts for 20 years, raising questions about whether the evidence to prove the settlement issue can be presented to the court. The Seoul Central District Court’s 20th Civil Affairs Department held the 5th trial date of the debt existence confirmation lawsuit filed by Hook Entertainment against Lee Seung-gi on the 19th. Lawyers from both sides were present at the scene.
The court, upon receiving the prepared written materials concerning the settlement details, stated that it is necessary to verify on what basis the documents were prepared and that it seems essential to compare the original settlement details which are the main cause of this lawsuit to both parties’ claims. In response, Lee Seung-gi’s legal representative argued that “objective data must be in Hook’s possession” and claimed that even in 20 years, there has not been a proper settlement ever conducted.
Lee Seung-gi’s side further claimed that concert proceeds were also not properly settled, stating, “According to the exclusive contract, settlements should have been made based on revenue and expenses for the concert section according to a certain percentage, but Hook only provided amounts without proper ledger evidence, and the expenses claimed by Hook are also unsubstantiated.” In response, Hook argued that “concert-related settlements are a separate issue.”
Upon hearing this, the court mentioned, “It seems like Hook has given 80 million won without income distribution. Lee Seung-gi’s side can request the relevant information from Hook regarding this settlement matter.” Lee Seung-gi’s side also mentioned that they received settlement data only after this dispute arose due to Hook’s deception, and pointed out that Hook has not submitted documents related to music royalties.
Lee Seung-gi claimed that since his debut in 2001, he has not received any settlement for music usage fees from Hook and sent a statement seeking settlement of unpaid profits and delayed interest. However, despite Hook sending Lee Seung-gi 54 billion won in settlement money in December 2022, Lee Seung-gi refused to accept it and took the matter to court.
Hook, which filed the lawsuit, claimed that they overpaid Lee Seung-gi for advertising activities and are demanding 9 billion won to be returned. They originally asserted that Lee Seung-gi had no debt at the time of filing the lawsuit, but later changed their stance. On the other hand, Lee Seung-gi’s side countered that they should receive an additional 3 billion won from Hook.
Lee Seung-gi made his appearance at the second trial, reading out a petition and expressing, “If they had honestly handled music royalties and settlements over the 18 years we’ve worked together, this wouldn’t have happened. As an artist of my seniority and recognition, it’s perplexing how I could have unknowingly lived without these basic rights for 20 years.” He also talked about an incident involving Hook’s CEO saying, “CEO Kwon Jin-young once said, ‘I could raise anyone better on the street than you.’ I found it extremely unpleasant from the beginning that CEO Kwon always talked about money-related matters such as appearance fees and contract deposits. He angrily portrayed me as a bad person who only cares about money.”
Lastly, Lee Seung-gi emphasized that he first learned about music royalties in 2021 and felt a great sense of betrayal towards the company he trusted and CEO Kwon Jin-young for deceiving him for a long time. He expressed hope that similar injustices wouldn’t happen to other young celebrities who debut at a young age.
Meanwhile, during the latter part of the trial, Lee Seung-gi’s side requested to expedite the conclusion, stating that the facts that led to this dispute date back 20 years. The court also stressed the need for the original settlement details and that both sides should clarify their interpretations of this original document based on the exclusive contract, indicating that settlements must be proven by Lee Seung-gi’s side.