The singer and actor Lee Seung-gi emerged victorious in his legal battle with the former agencies Hook Entertainment, now renamed Green Snake Entertainment, for unpaid settlement taxes, marking a significant moment in the struggle for fair treatment in the Korean entertainment sector.
On June 4, the division of the Civil Agreement of the Court of the Central District of Soul pronounced in favor of Lee Seung-Gie in the case presented by Green Snake Entertainment, who had tried to confirm that Lee was still in debt with the agency of about 900 million KRW (~ 630.000 USD.)
The Court established that, “Green Snake Entertainment must pay Lee Seung-Gi 581.377.421 KRW More delayed interests”, And he rejected all the remaining requests from Green Snake regarding the costs and reconventional questions.
In addition, the Court decided that both parties would endure 50% of the legal fees.
Context: the struggle for the royalties
This ruling is the culmination of a long-standing battle that began in November 2022, when Lee Seung-gi publicly accused Hook Entertainment of not having paid him by Royalties during his 18-year career under the company. He sent a certified letter asking for an adequate regulation of unpaid earnings.
In December 2022, Hook replied by transferring 5.4 billion KRW to Lee to Royalties and unpaid interests. Lee, known for his philanthropic work, donated 5 billion KRW (after legal costs) in charity.
However, Hook Entertainment subsequently reversed the course and intended a cause, claiming to have paid Lee excess of 900 million KRW in advertising revenues. Initially they said that Lee had nothing to do, but later changed their position.
Lee’s legal team contrasted with the recently discovered records that indicate that unpaid royalties actually totaled the 9.6 billion KRW, which means that the company still had to 3 billion KRW.
The testimony of the emotional court of Lee Seung-Gi
During the second hearing, Lee Seung-Gie appeared in court and read a sincere declaration that captured both public and media attention.
“We were together from my teenagers to my 30 years. If they had honestly revealed the existence of musical royalties and arranged them correctly, this situation would not have happened”, He said. He continued, “How an entertainer of my seniority, someone known to the public, could go to 20 years without knowing these fundamental rights?”
He also referred to the abusive observations of the CEO of Hook Kwon Jin-Young, saying, “The CEO Kwon once said to me:” I could choose anyone out of the street and make them more successful than you. “He reacted with extreme displeasure at any time it emerged, that they were performance taxes or contracts, and he painted me as a greedy someone.”
Lee observed that he learned only the existence of his royal rights in 2021, underlining the depth of the agency deception, “I feel deeply betrayed by the company and the CEO Kwon Jin-Young, who has deceived me for so long. I hope no other young entertainer suffers the same unfair treatment.”
Revealing internal conversations: the deed of Kim Young -ran mentioned
During the third hearing, a conversation recorded between Lee and the director of Hook was presented to the Court. In the conversation, dated 8 August 2022, director A said, “Seung-gi, songs like ‘You want to marry me’ AND ‘Return’ He did well. But looking at the old contracts, your first albums and remakes were in red. The contracts were based on these losses. “
The director A also said that, “Then, the marketing costs were high, fun journalists, etc.” Lee reacted with visible shock, “It is not illegal pursuant to the Kim Young -ran Act?”
Director B, who was responsible for PR, later contradicted the declaration of a clarifying that they had not been paid bribes to journalists, adding further confusion to the internal accounts of Hook.
Final words and sector reform
In his closing declaration, he declared Lee Seung-Gi “For 18 years, I have never received adequate settlements for concerts, album sales or television appearances. It is frustrating beyond words.”
Criticized the reactive settlement of the agency, “Only after requested payment did you try the attempt to settle. Why should I ask for what is rightly mine?”
Lee also took the opportunity to deal with the biggest problems in the entertainment sector, “Many young entertainers still face unjust treatment. Fortunately, the” Lee Seung-Gie Prevention Act “has been introduced, but it is not just a hook, many agencies keep separate accounting books. I hope the court does not ensure that no young artists suffer as I did.”
A historic victory
This judgment of the court makes more than claiming Lee Seung-Gi. A precedent is also establishing for responsibility and transparency in the South Korean entry sector, in particular in relations with the Agency-artist. Being one of the most respected figures in Actic K, Lee’s victory was praised by fans and insiders in the sector as a turning point in the defense of artists’ rights.
The case shed light on long -standing issues and non -ethical financial practices, and with the court that officially sided with Lee, the sentence should inspire more entertainers to speak against injustice and pursue legitimate compensation.
