The Seoul Central District Court on Friday ruled in favor of singer and actor Lee Seung-gi in his second settlement dispute against his former agency, Chorokbaem Media, formerly known as Hook Entertainment.

In a civil suit filed in June 2023, Chorokbaem Media claimed that it had overpaid Lee and requested that Lee pay the company 900 million won ($623,934).


Friday's ruling, however, ordered Chorokbaem Media to pay Lee 581 million won, along with interest accrued due to the delay.

It also said that both parties should equally share the litigation costs.

In November 2022, Lee claimed he had not received any settlements for his music streaming revenue for 18 years under Chorokbaem Media. He sent a legal notice demanding the settlement of unpaid earnings.

In the following month, Chorokbaem Media transferred 5.4 billion won to Lee as unpaid earnings and delayed interest. Lee subsequently donated 5 billion won to charity, excluding litigation expenses.

Chorokbaem Media subsequently filed another lawsuit, asserting that it had overpaid Lee for advertising activities and sought to claim 900 million won.

In response, Lee argued that newly obtained documents indicated his unpaid earnings amounted to 9.6 billion won and that he was entitled to an additional 3 billion won.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]