Breaking || Dispatch releases recording of Hook Entertainment CEO threatening Lee Seung Gi’s life
While the conflict between Lee Seung Gi and Hook Entertainment continues over the music settlement, a voice recording of the CEO’s verbal abuse has been released.
On November 15, Lee Seung Gi sent a written request to Hook Entertainment through the law firm Pacific to transparently disclose the settlement details related to music revenue.
Lee Seung Gi has released 137 songs and 27 albums over the 18 years of his career as a singer, but he claims that he has not collected a single penny from music revenue. However, according to the music settlement statement released by Dispatch, Lee Seung Gi earned 9.6 billion KRW (~7.2 million USD) in music revenue between October 2009 and September 2022.
Lee Seung Gi was unaware of this fact and came to question the calculation method of his music revenue after talking with a senior singer in relation to the track “Ordinary Man.”
On November 23, Dispatch released a voice recording of the conversation between Hook Entertainment CEO Kwon Jin Young, the company director, and Lee Seung Gi’s manager after receiving this content certification request.
In the recording, CEO Kwon said, “He even sent a request for certification of revenue content. He’s like doing this to make me go all out. I will swear on my name I’m going to kill him. I’m going to use the rest of my life to kill Lee Seung Gi, that prick. You leave too.”
The director of the company tried to explain to CEO Kwon, but CEO Kwon angrily continued, “Shut it. Stop it. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to use the rest of my life to kill that prick.”
Lee Seung Gi’s manager, who left the conference room, vented out his anger to the company director and said, “I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to leave (the company). I won’t do this anymore. I really worked hard for 9 years. I was f*** looked down, and she would say Lee Seung Gi is finished in front of people. She would tell me to choose sides wisely. How can I continue? to work?”
Dispatch also revealed Lee Seung Gi’s manager’s testimony along with the voice recording. The manager claimed that the reason Lee Seung Gi wasn’t able to question the music revenue settlement because of gaslighting.
Lee Seung Gi’s manager told the news media outlet, “The CEO always gaslighted Lee Seung Gi by telling him ‘you’re a minus [profit] singer. Your fans don’t spend money but they ask for a lot. You earn a lot of money through other things. Think of being a singer like a service to fans.’ and ingrained (those things) in him.”
On the other hand, regarding the suspicion of settlement of music, CEO Kwon Jin Young said on November 21, “Recently, there have been unfavorable things about our company and me coming out in the media, and regardless of whether they are true or not, I am embarrassed. I am ashamed and sorry because everything is my fault and the result of a lack of virtue.” She continued to say, “Although we have a duty to confirm the facts about the stories that are currently being reported or floating in the public in detail, we ask for your understanding that we are in the clearing stage and that we are refraining from expressing our position as there may be legal issues in the future. Once Hook Entertainment or I have clearly identified the legal responsibility, I will take full responsibility without backing down or avoiding it. We will do our best not to interfere with the activities of our celebrities, and we will be more careful not to cause further concern.”