Claims of Avoiding 'Minus Singer' Due to Music Royalties Settlement Demands
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi (35) has demanded a settlement of music revenue from his agency Hook Entertainment. Amid controversy including the release of recorded conversations between CEO Kwon Jin-young and a manager, he has stated through his legal representative that he wants the overall sales and settlement details of his entertainment activities to be disclosed.
On the 24th, Lee Seung-gi said through his legal representative, "On the 15th, we sent a certified letter to Hook Entertainment regarding unpaid music royalties," adding, "We requested the disclosure of distribution revenue details for all albums and the settlement of unpaid music royalties." Lee Seung-gi has been with Hook Entertainment since 2004, releasing 27 albums and 137 songs. Although he earned 9.6 billion KRW in revenue, he reportedly never received any music revenue from the agency and has sent a certified letter demanding settlement.
The legal representative explained, "Since his debut, Lee Seung-gi has fully trusted and followed Hook Entertainment regarding his entertainment activities and settlements. Because Hook Entertainment never mentioned anything about music royalties, he was unaware that any music revenue was being generated," adding, "Only recently did he become aware of the music revenue after seeing a mistakenly sent message from a Hook Entertainment employee." They further claimed, "Despite multiple requests for settlement details, Hook Entertainment avoided providing the information by making false excuses such as 'You are a minus artist.'"
They continued, "Lee Seung-gi also heard extremely insulting and threatening remarks from the agency’s CEO and others. Beyond the issue of music royalty settlement, he judged that the trust relationship with Hook Entertainment and CEO Kwon Jin-young, with whom he had a long-standing, family-like bond, could no longer continue. After much consideration, he decided to send a certified letter through his legal representative."
The legal representative also stated, "In addition to music royalty settlements, we plan to conduct a thorough review of all legal relations between Hook Entertainment, CEO Kwon Jin-young, and Lee Seung-gi." They added, "We have requested transparent disclosure of sales and settlement details related to Lee Seung-gi’s overall entertainment activities through several certified letters to Hook Entertainment, and we hope to receive a sincere response from them."
In response to the controversy, CEO Kwon stated on the 21st, "If it is clearly confirmed that Hook Entertainment or I personally have legal responsibilities, I will not back down or evade and will take full responsibility." On the 23rd, entertainment media Dispatch released recorded conversations between CEO Kwon Jin-young, a director, and Lee Seung-gi’s manager, causing a stir. Currently, Lee Seung-gi is filming the movie "Daegajok" and is preparing to shoot season 2 of the SBS variety show "Master in the House."
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