Settlement Proof Lies with Lee Seung-gi: Can 20-Year-Old Discrepancies Be Uncovered?
Lee Seung-gi's side repeatedly emphasized that Hook Entertainment has not properly settled accounts for 20 years, the question arises whether the court can prove the settlement issues with evidence.
The 20th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (collective) held the fifth hearing on the confirmation of the non-existence of debt lawsuit filed by Hook Entertainment against Lee Seung-gi on the 19th. Both sides’ legal teams attended the hearing.
The court stated that it needed to verify the basis of the settlement details received through the preparatory documents and that the original settlement details, which are the main cause of this lawsuit, should be confirmed to compare both sides’ claims.
Lee Seung-gi’s lawyer argued, “The objective data can only be with Hook’s side,” and “It has not been easy to get a proper settlement even once in 20 years.” The lawyer also addressed Hook’s claim that certain data prior to a specific point was past the statute of limitations and not retained, stating, “They haven’t provided specific reasons for not retaining it. We will also provide evidence for our claims based on the basic data we have.”
Lee Seung-gi’s side also claimed that concert revenues were not properly settled, saying, “According to the exclusive contract, concert revenue and costs should be settled proportionally, but Hook only provided amounts without the underlying ledgers, and the claimed costs were not properly itemized.”
In response, Hook’s side argued that concert-related settlements were a separate issue. The court noted that Hook seemed to have given 80 million won without distributing revenue, suggesting that Lee Seung-gi’s side should request the relevant details.
Lee Seung-gi’s side claimed that the settlement documents they received were due to Hook’s deception and were provided by a staff member handling accounting at Hook after the dispute arose. They also claimed Hook had not submitted documents related to music royalties.
In November 2022, Lee Seung-gi sent a certification of contents to Hook, claiming he had not received any settlement for music usage fees for 18 years and demanding settlement of unpaid revenues. In December 2022, Hook sent Lee Seung-gi 5.4 billion won as unpaid settlement and delayed interest, but Lee Seung-gi did not accept it and took the matter to court.
Hook, who filed the lawsuit, claims it overpaid Lee Seung-gi 900 million won for advertising activities and demands repayment. Initially, Hook sought a declaration of no debt to Lee Seung-gi but later modified its claim. Conversely, Lee Seung-gi argues he is owed an additional 3 billion won from Hook.
During the second hearing, Lee Seung-gi appeared in person and read a petition, expressing his emotional turmoil over not receiving proper settlements for music royalties for nearly two decades. He also mentioned hurtful comments from Hook’s CEO, Kwon Jin-young, and expressed his desire to prevent similar injustices for future artists.
Hook acknowledged that it did not maintain separate accounting records for each artist as required by the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act established in 2014. The court has requested Hook to submit all settlement data related to Lee Seung-gi from 2004 onwards in a USB to both Lee Seung-gi’s side and the court.
At the end of the hearing, Lee Seung-gi’s side requested a quicker resolution, citing the 20-year duration of the dispute. The court emphasized the need for the original settlement documents and mentioned that Lee Seung-gi’s side would need to prove the settlements.
