Lee Seung-gi “Asked for Settlement Statements, Ended Up Here… They Deceived Me” Reads Petition Aloud
Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi has expressed his sense of betrayal and the reasons for his lawsuit against his former agency, Hook Entertainment, through a personal petition. On the 24th, Lee attended the second trial date for the non-existence of debt confirmation lawsuit filed by Hook Entertainment (hereafter referred to as Hook) at the Seoul Central District Court, where he shared his stance.
Contents of Lee Seung-gi’s Petition
Lee Seung-gi explained that he started training as a trainee in his first year of high school and debuted as a singer in his third year of high school. He noted that from the beginning of his career, CEO Kwon Jin-young was very uncomfortable discussing financial matters. “From the start, whenever I brought up money issues, she would get very angry and label me as someone who only cares about money,” he revealed.
In 2021, Lee Seung-gi first learned about the existence of music royalties and requested settlement statements. However, CEO Kwon reportedly refused, saying, “How can I give you money when you’re a negative-income singer?” Even after establishing his own corporation and continuing his music career, Hook continued to refuse his requests for settlement statements, leading to ongoing issues.
In 2022, when it became public through the media that he had not received any music royalties for 20 years, Hook belatedly transferred approximately 4.8 billion KRW unilaterally. Lee Seung-gi stated, “I felt a great sense of betrayal, realizing that the company and CEO Kwon, whom I trusted, had deceived me for a long time.“
Appeal for Fellow Junior Artists
Lee Seung-gi appealed, “Many people who start their entertainment careers at a young age like I did are probably in similar positions. I hope this kind of thing does not happen again and that no more victims like me emerge.” He emphasized his hope that junior artists who debut at a young age will not suffer similar disadvantages.
The court ordered Hook to submit all settlement data related to Lee Seung-gi from 2004 onwards on a USB to both Lee Seung-gi’s side and the court. Hook admitted that they had not maintained separate accounting records for each artist as required by the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act. The court instructed Hook to submit the original data without concealing it under the pretext of trade secrets.
The issue of music royalty settlement between Lee Seung-gi and Hook highlights the importance of transparent settlements and fair contracts between agencies and artists in the entertainment industry.
