Lee Seung Gi’s Lawyer Releases Statement Addressing Feud With HOOK Entertainment
Superstar actor/singer Lee Seung Gi‘s lawyers released a statement responding to the controversy surrounding his agency, HOOK Entertainment, for the first time.
On November 24, Lee Seung Gi’s lawyers relayed a statement on behalf of their client. Recently, it was revealed that the star had never been paid in his 18-year music career.
Lee Seung Gi’s lawyers revealed that they had previously asked for accounting records pertaining to Lee Seung Gi’s music career.
On November 15, Lee Seung Gi, through his lawyers, asked for accounting records. Lee Seung Gi asked that the agency reveal all of the revenue from his albums and that he is paid for the amounts that were unpaid.
— Lee Seung Gi’s lawyer
Lee Seung Gi’s lawyers then stated that Lee Seung Gi had prior asked for accounting records, but each time the agency responded by calling him a minus singer, meaning he wasn’t a profitable singer.
Lee Seung Gi has been with HOOK Entertainment for the past 18 years and trusted the agency’s accounting. Because HOOK Entertainment had never talked about royalties from his music, Lee Seung Gi didn’t know that there was any revenue generated from his music royalties. It was only recently, after an employee at the agency accidentally sent the singer a text message, that he learned of his royalties. After this, Lee Seung Gi asked for accounting records on numerous occasions, but the agency would call him a minus singer, and avoid granting his request by giving excuses.
— Lee Seung Gi’s lawyer
Lee Seung Gi’s lawyer then hinted that the singer was aware of a disturbing audio recording, allegedly of HOOK Entertainment CEO Kwon Jin Young, threatening to kill him.
During this time, Lee Seung Gi has also been made aware of the agency CEO’s insulting language and threats that were directed at him. Because of this, the issue is larger than the matter of his music royalties, and he could no longer trust the CEO, who he once considered family. And it’s due to this that he hired legal representation to formally ask the agency for its accounting records. Lee Seung Gi will also review his legal obligations to HOOK Entertainment and Kwon Jin Young, and to this, we ask that HOOK Entertainment provide accounting records of all of Lee Seung Gi’s activities. We hope to receive a sincere response from the agency.
— Lee Seung Gi’s lawyer
Lastly, Lee Seung Gi’s lawyer relayed a message of thanks to the artist’s supporters.
We are humbled and thankful for all of the support Lee Seung Gi has received at this time. Lee Seung Gi will do his best not to affect the projects he is currently working on. We will provide further details on these matters in a separate statement once we have reviewed all of the facts.
— Lee Seung Gi’s lawyer
Previously, a Dispatch exposé revealed that Lee Seung Gi had never been paid for his music career. The news follows allegations that HOOK Entertainment was facing embezzlement charges after they were raided by Police Agents. Then on November 23, Dispatch released another article that included an audio recording of a person alleged to be HOOK Entertainment’s Kwon Jin Young threatening to kill Lee Seung Gi. HOOK Entertainment has not yet responded to the most recent allegations.