Lee Ji-hoon Claims Privacy Invasion and Verbal Abuse by Agency
Court Accepts Lee Ji-hoon's Request to Suspend Exclusive Contract
GTree States "Lee Ji-hoon's Claims Are Inaccurate... Announces Legal Action"
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Actor Lee Ji-hoon and his agency G-tree Creative are embroiled in a conflict as they present conflicting claims.
Lee Ji-hoon has claimed that he suffered damages such as invasion of privacy from the agency and obtained a court decision to suspend the validity of his exclusive contract, while the agency has rebutted these claims.
Previously, Lee Ji-hoon signed an exclusive contract with G-tree in September 2018 and filed for a provisional injunction to suspend the contract's validity in July of this year.
Lee Ji-hoon asserted, "G-tree did not properly pay wages to Lee Ji-hoon's managers, causing them to resign, or assigned managers who insulted Lee Ji-hoon and did not perform their duties properly, thus failing to adequately support his activities," and "They threatened and verbally abused Lee Ji-hoon and his family members, and tracked his private life through managers."
The court noted that based on the messages exchanged and the attitudes of both parties, mutual trust has broken down, stating, "G-tree has not specifically explained any management plans related to Lee Ji-hoon's entertainment activities, making it difficult to restore the close cooperation and trust between the parties."
In response, G-tree stated, "Contrary to Lee Ji-hoon's claims, there was no invasion of privacy or verbal abuse, and the court did not acknowledge those parts of the case," adding, "Most of Lee Ji-hoon's claims were dismissed. However, the court temporarily suspended the contract's validity because it judged that trust between the opposing parties had broken down overall."
G-tree further explained, "The approval of this provisional injunction does not mean the contract with the affiliated artist has been terminated; it only temporarily suspends its validity. However, as an agency specializing in management, we regret the court's decision that views the temporary conflict caused by the artist's unilateral change of mind as a breakdown of trust between the artist and the agency."
G-tree expressed its intention to "appeal" the court's decision and added, "We are preparing to file an objection to the provisional injunction decision and a main lawsuit."
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