Lee Seunghwan Responds to 'CIA Conspiracy Theory' and Defamation Claims
Emphasizes No Political Party Ties, Only Civic Group Participation
After Gumi Concert Cancellation, Plans Performance in Gwangju
Singer Lee Seunghwan announced that he plans to sue a YouTuber for defamation later this month, who claimed as a conspiracy theory that the CIA refused his entry, denying his visit to the United States. On the 6th, Lee Seunghwan shared this plan on MBC Radio's 'Kwon Sunpyo's News High Kick,' sighing, "Where on earth did this absurd belief in the CIA conspiracy theory come from?" Previously, Lee Seunghwan visited the U.S. on the 15th of last month to attend his nephew's wedding and posted photos from the event on his social media the next day. Two days later, a YouTuber claimed that the photos Lee posted were manipulated and that he had not actually been to the U.S. This was a baseless speculation rooted in the rumor that reporting anti-government figures to the CIA would result in denial of entry to the U.S.
Singer Lee Seunghwan announced that he plans to file a defamation lawsuit this month against a YouTuber who falsely claimed that his visit to the United States was untrue and spread a conspiracy theory that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) denied his entry. Lee Seunghwan Instagram
To dismiss the 'CIA conspiracy theory,' Lee Seunghwan even disclosed his immigration documents on social media on the 21st of last month, but instead, he was accused of forgery and alteration of official documents. Responding to the accusation, Lee expressed disbelief and criticized, "The reason they attack me might be to attract attention and increase views, but it is also aimed at damaging my image." He added, "One of the misunderstandings many people have is that they think I am connected to politicians," emphasizing, "No one knows." Furthermore, he stated, "I only attend rallies organized by civic groups," and stressed, "I do not participate in rallies held by any political party."
When asked by the host if he did not want to live quietly, he expressed his opinion, saying, "I think living by saying what I want is not an unhappy thing," and explained, "I consider that a happy thing, and to do so, first, I am managing my taxes well, and second, I am extremely refraining from meeting people." On that day, Lee Seunghwan also mentioned the cancellation of his concert scheduled for December last year in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, marking his 35th debut anniversary. At that time, the Gumi city government suddenly canceled the rental of the Gumi City Culture and Arts Center for the concert two days before the scheduled date, citing 'the safety of citizens and audience,' after Lee's side refused to sign a pledge not to engage in 'political agitation or misunderstandings' during the event.
Lee Seunghwan criticized, saying, "An unprecedented situation occurred where the concert was unilaterally canceled," and added, "This is the first time in the history of concerts in our country." He also stated, "We are currently pursuing a damages lawsuit and filed the complaint on January 22," and "The complaint was delivered to the city and the mayor on February 6." Online community
Lee Seunghwan criticized, "An unprecedented unilateral cancellation of the concert occurred," calling it "the first in the history of performances in our country." He added, "We are proceeding with a lawsuit for damages and filed the complaint on January 22," and "The complaint was delivered to the city and the mayor on February 6." Furthermore, regarding the cancellation of the venue rental by Gumi city, Lee's side filed a constitutional complaint last month, arguing that the 'pledge to prohibit political agitation' infringes on freedom of conscience and freedom of expression. After the cancellation of the Gumi concert, Lee accepted an offer to perform in Gwangju Metropolitan City and is scheduled to hold a concert at the Kim Daejung Convention Center on May 3.
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