Gumi Mayor to Face Court Examination in Legal Battle with Singer Lee Seung-hwan Over Canceled Concert

The appellate court has decided to directly question Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho in court regarding the cancellation of singer Lee Seung-hwan's concert just two days before the event.

The court determined that it is necessary to directly verify what judgment Mayor Kim made at the time of deciding to cancel the performance.

The 9th Civil Division of the Seoul High Court announced today (the 15th) that it has decided a party examination of Mayor Kim is necessary in the appeal of a damages lawsuit filed by Lee Seung-hwan and others against Mayor Kim and the city of Gumi.

The origins date back to December 2024.

At the time, Lee was scheduled to hold a concert in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on December 25, Christmas Day.

Ahead of the performance, however, the city of Gumi demanded that Lee's side sign a pledge promising "not to make political remarks or actions."

When Lee's side refused, the city canceled the venue rental on December 23, just two days before the concert, preventing the scheduled show from taking place.

Subsequently, Lee, his concert promoter, and ticket holders filed a damages lawsuit seeking 250 million won against Mayor Kim and the city of Gumi.

The first-instance court ruled that the city of Gumi was at fault in the concert cancellation process and ordered it to pay 125 million won in damages.

However, it did not recognize Mayor Kim's personal liability for damages.

Following the first-instance ruling, Lee stated that he would not appeal if Mayor Kim issued an apology.

As no apology was made, Lee appealed the portion of the ruling that did not recognize Mayor Kim's personal liability.

During the appellate proceedings, the two sides clashed over whether it was necessary to directly question Mayor Kim.

At last month's hearing, Lee's side argued that it was difficult to specifically ascertain what Mayor Kim considered and what perceptions he held at the time of canceling the venue rental without his direct explanation.

They requested that Mayor Kim appear in court to explain the context in which the venue rental was canceled.

On the other hand, Mayor Kim's side countered that conducting a direct party examination to determine personal liability in a state compensation lawsuit is unusual, and that Mayor Kim's statements in court would be irrelevant to the key issues.

After reviewing the written opinions submitted by both sides, the court decided to proceed with the party examination of Mayor Kim.

The examination is scheduled to take place on December 10.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.