Lee Seung-gi, the South Korean entertainment veteran best known for his roles in Vagabond and Mouse, has reportedly requested an official report of his revenue from longtime agency Hook Entertainment.
On November 17, South Korean news outlets reported that the 35-year-old singer-actor had formally sent a ‘certification of contents’ requesting from Hook Entertainment a full report on the revenue made from his music-related activities. Lee first debuted as a singer in 2004 with the hit single ‘Because You’re My Girl’ under the agency. He went on to release several hit albums, before branching out into acting.
The agency released a statement on November 18 confirming that it has “received a certification of contents from Lee Seung-gi and is reviewing related data and preparing a response accordingly,” as translated by Soompi. Hook Entertainment added that it is “working hard to resolve the issue amicably without any misunderstandings between the two parties.”
The news came shortly after South Korea’s National Police Agency carried out a search and seizure of Hook Entertainment’s offices under suspicions of embezzlement by some of its executives, as reported by Sports World.
Lee’s request to Hook Entertainment does not appear related to the allegations of embezzlement that prompted the police search. The search is said to be related to controversial businessman Kang Jong-hyun, an ex-boyfriend of Hook actress Park Min-young who is speculated to have business ties with the agency. Kang is currently under investigation as the owner of crypto exchange Bithumb, following the recent Terra-Luna cryptocurrency ecosystem crash earlier this year, per the Korea Times.
The agency did not explicitly address the allegations of embezzlement in its statement, but did note: “We would like to express our apologies for not being able to explain our position on a series of incidents reported in the media related to Hook Entertainment.”
It added: “Due to the seriousness of the issue raised, it is currently difficult to say anything about the issue, and as soon as the situation is sorted out to some extent, we will release an official statement on the related matter.”
Earlier today (November 21), South Korean media outlet Dispatch released a report claiming that Lee has not been paid for any of his music since signing with Hook Entertainment 18 years ago. The report includes purported statements of payment from music distribution channels Lee had worked with over the years. Both Lee and Hook Entertainment have yet to respond to the claims made by Dispatch.
