Cha Ga-won, Chairwoman of p_Arc Group and CEO of One Hundred, has been arrested on fraud charges involving approximately 30 billion won. Meanwhile, singer Lee Seung-gi, who currently resides in a luxury villa owned by Cha, has spoken out ahead of the expiration of his jeonse contract.
On the 5th, Lee's representatives told the media, "We have received assurances from the landlord, Cha Ga-won, and her husband that the money will be returned when the contract expires. If that promise is not kept this time, we will naturally take the strongest possible civil and criminal legal action."
The luxury villa in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where Lee currently resides, has a jeonse deposit of 10.5 billion won. The contract is set to expire on the 6th, with approximately 7.3 billion won of the deposit financed through bank loans.
Lee's side previously claimed that before entering into the jeonse contract for the villa, Cha strongly encouraged him to take out the loan and agreed to cover the interest payments. However, they said that the interest payments stopped as the controversy over unpaid earnings owed to artists under her agency escalated. The villa was also seized by the National Tax Service earlier this year over Cha's unpaid taxes, making it difficult to guarantee the full recovery of the deposit.
Lee had planned to move into a newly constructed building in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, when his jeonse contract expired. However, the move has been blocked after the construction company asserted a lien over the property due to unpaid construction costs. A banner reading, "This building is currently subject to a lien," is displayed on the building. The construction company, Piarc Construction, is headed by Cha's husband. Lee's side has filed for a provisional injunction seeking the handover of the building and is awaiting the court's decision.
Earlier, on the 3rd, a Seoul Central District Court judge in charge of arrest warrants issued an arrest warrant for Cha, who faces fraud charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, citing concerns that she might destroy evidence.
Cha is accused of proposing IP-related business projects involving artists under her entertainment agency to knowmerce, signing contracts, and receiving an advance payment of 24.2 billion won, but failing to carry out the projects. The alleged damages are estimated at approximately 30 billion won.
Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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