According to the latest allegations, South Korean actor and singer Lee Seung-gi have not been compensated for his compositions for the past 18 years.
On November 17, the actor formally requested a report of his musical activities and earnings through his previous agency, Hook Entertainment, over the previous 18 years.
According to the same report, the actor has not received a single cent from the sales of his albums.
On the 21st of November, Dispatch reported that the actor received a letter from a Hook Entertainment employee in January 2021, in which he was able to view his song’s sales revenue and earnings.
However, he did not receive any revenues or profits. When Dispatch recently reported that the actor never received any payment from Hook Entertainment, the actor’s claims appeared to be confirmed.
Over 130 compositions have been written by Lee Seung-gi during his 18-year musical career. In 2004, his first film Because You Are My Girl propelled him to fame.
After his first song, which was produced by PSY, he went on to compose additional popular songs, such as Delete. Numerous awards followed for the actor and performer, including two Baeksang Arts Awards, four Mnet Asian Music Awards, eight SBS Drama Awards, and twelve SBS Entertainment Awards.
Between 2009 and 2022, it is alleged that Lee Seung-song’s gi generated $9,6 billion won ($7,1 million).
According to Dispatch, Hook Entertainment made a significant amount of money off of Lee Seung-CDs, gi’s, but the Return vocalist never received any of it. His first three albums, which were released in 2004, 2006, and 2007, each sold more than 100,000 copies.
Many people utilized the actor’s songs as ringtones at the time, as his fame expanded. His tune was also used as background music for the Cyworld video game.
His previous agency, on the other hand, has not paid him anything from the music’s profits and income, including royalties.
PSY, the producer of Lee Seung-first Gi’s single Because You Are My Girl, disclosed that he received royalties from the song’s sales and streams.
Hook Entertainment allegedly kept all earnings from the actor’s albums and compositions. According to reports, between 2006 and 2022, the actor earned over $7.16 million from his compositions. The amount was recorded as sales in his agency’s corporate account.
The agency allegedly tampered with the actor’s musical activities’ sales and earnings reports. Dispatch revealed further that account data for sales and income from 2004 to 2009 were lost and cannot be recovered.
It is difficult to determine how much money the actor spent on his hit compositions at the time and how much profit he made. According to the South Korean magazine, sales would equal 10,0 billion KRW (about $7.46 million).
Digital sales of the actor’s sixth album did not yield any revenue for him. According to the Dispatch, Lee Seung-gi was repeatedly misled by his previous agency, Hook Entertainment.
According to Dispatch, he was mocked by those in authority at the organization.
“Seung Gi! Seung Gi!” You do not sell albums to your followers. They don’t have any money, but they have a lot of desires.”
Another official from Hook Entertainment allegedly used the following words to convince him:
“The manager is Kim.” Lee Seung Gi has concluded. Use the proper route. Reduce your spending.”
According to the story, the CEO of his previous agency made certain that the actor did not use the company credit card for meals or personal expenditures.
On Twitter, the actor’s admirers are appalled and distressed.
Fans flocked to Twitter to vent their fury against Hook Entertainment, pledging to take drastic action against the company. Fans are outraged by the treatment of the actor by his former agency.
Lee Seung-gi left Hook Entertainment in 2021 in order to establish his own agency, Human Made. His most recent appearance was in The Law Cafe, a KBS2 drama.
Also Read: Look Inside Shannon Thornton’s Secret Love Life
