Hook Entertainment ordered to pay additional 58 million KRW

⚖️ Lee Seung Gi vs. Hook Entertainment — Legal Battle Ends in Victory

Korean singer-actor Lee Seung Gi has officially won his legal battle against former agency Hook Entertainment, over years of unpaid earnings. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Lee, recognizing Hook's failure to provide payment and records for over a decade as intentional misconduct or, at minimum, gross negligence.

📜 Court Ruling: "Breach of Trust and Legal Obligation"

On April 8, Lee's current agency, Big Planet Made Entertainment, released key excerpts from the court decision:

"Hook Entertainment failed to fulfill its legal and contractual obligation to provide payment statements for more than 10 years. This is considered a willful act or at least serious negligence."

The court also stated that Hook's monopoly over revenue data prevented Lee from understanding whether or not he was owed anything:

"Since Hook controlled all income data related to his music and albums, it would've been difficult for Lee Seung Gi to realize his rights were being violated."

💰 The 18-Year Mystery of 'Zero Earnings'

Lee Seung Gi debuted in 2004 and released 137 songs over 18 years. Shockingly, he received zero earnings from music streaming and album sales for that entire time. Investigative reports revealed that his uncollected music revenue reached at least 9.6 billion KRW (approx. $7 million USD) — and that's excluding earlier data from 2004 to 2009, which is now lost.

Hook eventually wired 5.4 billion KRW (approx. $4 million) to Lee, but later demanded 900 million KRW back, claiming it had overpaid him for ads. This led to a counter-lawsuit.

✅ Final Verdict: Hook Must Pay More

The Seoul court dismissed Hook's counterclaim and ruled that the company must pay an additional 581 million KRW (approx. $430,000 USD) to Lee.

🧑‍⚖️ From Legal Battle to Legislative Change

Lee Seung Gi personally appeared in court last November, pleading for stronger protections for young artists in the industry. His case led to the so-called "Lee Seung Gi Law", amending the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act.

This revised regulation requires agencies to provide detailed, written earnings and accounting records to artists at least once a year — by law.