Singer/actor Lee Seung Gi explained that the reason why he is fighting against his management agency Hook Entertainment is not because of money.
A short while ago, Lee Seung Gi filed a document against Hook Entertainment, demanding a transparent record of his earnings and payments as well as payment for his music, after realizing that the agency had lied to him about the profit from his music since his debut in 2004, repeatedly telling him that he was a 'minus' singer.
▶ [SBS Star] Lee Seung Gi Says to Have Gotten Paid Nothing for Over 130 Songs from His Debut Song
Earlier today, Hook Entertainment officially stated that they paid the outstanding amount of money to Lee Seung Gi.
The agency said, "The records were given to Lee Seung Gi's attorney this week, but we weren't able to reach an agreement with each other. The amount that requested by Lee Seung Gi's side was too different from the amount that we calculated. But in order to put an end to our dispute, we still paid Lee Seung Gi today."
They continued, "We paid him all that make up of his unpaid payment―2.9 billion won, on top of 1.3 billion won that he was already paid for his music. We also gave Lee Seung Gi 1.2 billion won as interest for paying him so late. Since the payment has been made now, we have filed a case to the court to confirm the absence of debt to close the dispute over payment issues between us and Lee Seung Gi."
▶ [SBS Star] Hook Entertainment States They Paid 4.1 Billion Won to Lee Seung Gi Today
Then in the afternoon today, Lee Seung Gi updated his Instagram with a new post.
In his post, Lee Seung Gi shared how he feels about what is going on between him and Hook Entertainment; this was the first time Lee Seung Gi personally spoke about the ongoing issue since it was initially publicized about a month ago.
Together with a photo of himself from his debut album 'The Dream of a Moth' released in June 2004, Lee Seung Gi said, "Hi, everyone. It's been long. To be honest with you, I haven't been very well. I had been going back and forth from feeling resentment to blaming myself, then having another round of repeatedly being angry at the sense of betrayal and frustrated with disappointment every day."
He went on, "This morning, I received a text that around 5 billion won had been deposited into my account. I believe Hook Entertainment thinks that I took legal steps simply to get paid. I've never even received a single statement for my music until now, and they're now trying to close the case unilaterally by saying that they paid me all the 'unpaid' payment. To this day, I had no idea that I made money from my music, because I heard that I was a 'minus' singer for the last 18 years. The reason why I took legal action against Hook Entertainment is not because of money. The value of one's sweat shouldn't be unfairly used for one's greed. That's what I thought and I believed this was the best thing I could do to show the world that."
"Around 5 billion won has found me, but what I don't know is on what basis Hook Entertainment came up with the amount of money that they gave me. Since I don't understand Hook Entertainment's calculation method, it looks like I will continue to stand up to them in court in the future. Let me apologize in advance for the fatigue that our battle may bring to you.", he resumed, "But what I can promise you is that I'll be donating the whole amount of their payment, how much the amount it turns out to be. I'll begin with the 5 billion won that was deposited today. Everything, except for the expenses for taking legal action, will be returned to society. This isn't an overnight thought. I told myself that I would donate the money for the people in need the moment I decided to go against Hook Entertainment."
"The 5 billion won that I received today is certainly big and precious to me. It contains sweat from my teens, 20s and 30s. But if the money could be spent on people who have harder lives than myself, I would feel more than 5 billion won worth of happiness and value. From next week, I plan on making detailed plans for my donation through meetings with places where I could donate. There are a lot of people out there who can't move well. Many youngsters give up on their dreams due to the poor circumstances that they are in. Some are unable to get proper treatment on time in a life-threatening situation. 5 billion won might not be enough to help all of them, but I'll take a small step into practice.", he stated further.
Lastly, Lee Seung Gi added, "Most of all though, a great number of people have given me support while I went through this. You've given me a lot of strength. I felt comforted and loved. Thank you for reminding me how much I'm loved. Although it's not much, I'll repay you by returning your love to society. Have a warm end of the year, and I will keep going my way with sincerity like I always have."
(Credit= 'leeseunggiofficial' Instagram, Hook Entertainment)