HOOK Entertainment Is Flamed By Netizens For Allegedly Gaslighting Lee Seung Gi
Netizens reacted in disbelief over HOOK Entertainment‘s CEO Kwon Jin Young alleged gaslighting of Lee Seung Gi.
On November 21, media outlet Dispatch revealed in an explosive exposé that Lee Seung Gi had never been paid for his musical endeavors.
The exposé further alleged that HOOK Entertainment CEO Kwon Jin Young had told Lee Seung Gi that he was a “Minus Singer,” implying that the label had never recouped the investments they made in his singing career.
The allegations are shocking, as Lee Seung Gi had once been one of K-Pop’s biggest acts. The singer has a sleuth of hits in his catalog and is responsible for classic hits such as “Because You’re My Woman” and “Will You Marry Me.”
Dispatch obtained a statement of settlements from the distribution channels that distributed Lee Seung Gi’s music. Between 2006 and 2022, Lee Seung Gi’s musical activities earned over ₩9.60 billion KRW (about $7.16 million USD) in revenue. In other words, that same amount was recorded as sales in his Hook Entertainment corporate account. The documents for 2004-2009 were lost, so not all of the information was able to be retrieved.
The exposé detailed the gaslighting in detail, alleging that the company had falsely led the singer to believe that his musical endeavors yielded no profits. According to the exposé, instances of gaslighting Lee Seung Gi included…
- June 2021: Seung Gi! I don’t want to say this to a singer from our agency… You’re a minus singer. How are we supposed to calculate things?
- August 2022: Do you know how much it costs to promote an album? I had to give a gift to media director A and buy another gift for media director B…
- November 2022: You’re so annoying! We asked accounting team member Park to prepare the settlement data, but the f***er didn’t do it because he didn’t want to work.
The June 2021 instance was when both Lee Seung Gi and his mother were at dinner with the executive. The August 2022 instance had a director blurt out his answer due to the sudden question. The November 2022 remarks were made in a meeting following Lee Seung Gi’s request to prove his account statements.
Netizens reacted in disbelief over the label’s gaslighting and treatment of Lee Seung Gi. Many maintained it was impossible for Lee Seung Gi to be a “Minus Singer.”
- “I can’t believe they said Lee Seung Gi was a ‘Minus Singer’… I’m so dumbstruck that I have no words.”
- “Crazy. Man, even I feel wronged (for Lee Seung Gi).”
- “Wow, that’s too much.”
- “I mean, how can Lee Seung Gi be a ‘Minus Singer’? Is that why they didn’t pursue his music career?”
- “I mean, it’s Lee Seung Gi… There’s no way he’s a ‘Minus Singer.'”
- “I mean, if Lee Seung Gi is a ‘Minus Singer,’ then… LOL”
- “How bad does his contract have to be for Lee Seung Gi to be a ‘Minus Singer’?”
- “The agency is trash.”
It seems many netizens are not convinced by HOOK Entertainment’s claim that Lee Seung Gi wasn’t a profitable artist. Stay tuned for updates.
