Lee Seung-gi has reportedly not been paid for his music in the last 18 years

South Korean actor and singer Lee Seung-gi hasn't been paid for his music in the last 18 years, as per the latest reports.

On November 17, the actor formally requested a transparent report on his musical activities and revenue earned from his former agency, Hook Entertainment, for the past 18 years. In the same report, the actor claimed that he hasn't received a single penny for the sales he has made from his albums.

On November 21, Dispatch reported that in January 2021, the actor mistakenly received a message from an employee of Hook Entertainment where he could see the profits and earnings made from the sales of his music. However, he did not receive any of the profits and earnings.

The actor's claims were seemingly corroborated when Dispatch recently revealed that the actor never received any money from Hook Entertainment.

Lee Seung-gi has composed over 130 songs in his 18-year musical career. The actor rose to fame in 2004 when he made his debut with Because You Are My Girl. Following his debut song, which was produced by PSY, he composed other top songs such as Delete.

The actor and singer went on to win many awards, including two Baeksang Arts Awards, four Mnet Asian Music Awards, eight SBS Drama Awards, and twelve SBS Entertainment Awards.

Lee Seung-gi's music reportedly earned 9.6 billion won ($7.1 million) between 2009 and 2022

According to Dispatch, Hook Entertainment made a huge amount of profit from Lee Seung-gi's albums, but the Return singer never received the profits. He sold more than 100,000 copies of his first three albums, released in 2004, 2006, and 2007. Many used his music as their ringtones as the actor’s popularity rose during those times. They also used his music as background music for Cyworld. However, his former agency hasn’t paid him anything from the music’s profit and revenue, including royalties.

PSY, the producer for Lee Seung-gi’s debut song Because You Are My Girl, stated that he received royalties after the sale and streams of the song.

Hook Entertainment reportedly hid every profit the actor earned from his songs and albums. It has been reported that between 2006 and 2022, the actor’s music earned him over $7.16 million in revenue. The amount was recorded as sales in his agency’s corporate account.

The agency has reportedly manipulated the sales and revenue report for the actor’s musical activities. Dispatch also reported that account reports for sales and revenue from 2004 to 2009 have been lost, and the information can no longer be recovered. It is hard to confirm how much money was spent and how much profit the actor has earned from his hit songs during those times. The South Korean publication estimated that the sales would amount to ₩10.0 billion KRW (about $7.46 million). The actor did not receive any of the profits he made from the digital sales of his sixth album.

According to the Dispatch report, Lee Seung-gi was the victim of gaslighting by his former agency, Hook Entertainment, on numerous occasions.

Dispatch also reported that people in authority at the agency used to mock him.

“Seung Gi! Your fans don’t buy albums. They don’t have money but have a lot of things they want.”

Another person in authority from Hook Entertainment reportedly used to manipulate him, saying:

“Manager Kim. Lee Seung Gi is done for. Take the right path. Save on expenses.”

According to the report, the CEO of his former agency made sure the actor did not use company’s card for food and personal activities.

Fans of the actor are outraged and angry on Twitter

Fans took to Twitter to express their anger at Hook Entertainment, expressing their desire to take strict action against the agency.

Fans are saddened by how badly the actor was treated by his former agency.

Fans are sending their support and encouragement to the singer, who is finally fighting for his rights.

Lee Seung-gi left Hook Entertainment in 2021 and established his own agency called Human Made. He recently starred in KBS2 drama The Law Cafe.

About the author

Kirti holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism & Mass Communication and has been a Kpop writer at SK POP since 2022. She has been following Kpop and Kdramas since the last 6 years and but has worked in the genre only in the last 3-4 years donning several several caps - social media intern, copywriter, article writer and academic writer.

Kirti likes to pen down insightful features based on Korean dramas, especially the 'Ending Explained' categories. It gives her the satisfaction of creating the most authentic content rather than simply replicating what media outlets generally do.

Her process of creating content is time-consuming, yet methodical; she prefers to use original sources of information, which in her case are Korean outlets. She watches entire episodes, writes them down, cross-checks/fact-checks the details/event timelines off the web and eventually creates her copy.

Kirti likes Lee Je-hoon, IU, and Kim Seon-ho since she feels that their dramas are inspiring and have good plotlines. When she is not writing about K-dramas, she can be found watching them.

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Edited by Somava