Singer and actor Lee Seung Gi notified his agency Big Planet Made of contract termination, saying he has not received settlement payments for more than seven months. At the end of 2022, after leaving the agency he had been with for over 18 years, he moved to a new agency, but he again became entangled in settlement issues at his new agency and faced a bitter breakup.
On the 6th, Lee Seung Gi's legal representative, Attorney Yoon Yong-seok of Law Office Hyunmyeong, issued an official statement saying, "Lee Seung Gi notified Big Planet Made Entertainment of contract termination at the end of March on the grounds of the agency's breach of the exclusive contract, and accordingly the exclusive contract was lawfully terminated."
According to Lee Seung Gi's side, Big Planet Made has not properly paid settlement payments to Lee Seung Gi from last September to the present, and there were also problems with payments for support of entertainment activities, on-site staff, and external vendors.
Accordingly, Lee Seung Gi requested to view basic documents regarding contractual relationships to ensure settlement transparency, but the agency refused without justifiable reason, his side said. Because of this, Lee Seung Gi notified the agency of contract termination at the end of last month, and the exclusive contract has now been terminated and its effect completely ended, his side said.
However, on the same day the agency Big Planet Made Entertainment told OSEN in an official statement that "we are making every effort to restore normal management as soon as possible, and we are continuously consulting to ensure related matters can be resolved amicably."
In 2022, Lee Seung Gi also had conflicts with his former agency Hook Entertainment over settlement payments. At the time, Lee Seung Gi said he had not received a single won in music settlement payments for 18 years, and Hook paid a total of 4.1 billion won to Lee Seung Gi's side in December of that year, including settlement payments and interest.
Because of the settlement dispute, Lee Seung Gi left the agency and in April 2024 joined hands with Big Planet Made Entertainment to announce a new start. At the time, Big Planet Made said it would support Lee Seung Gi in his dispute with his former agency, noting, "Although settlements should rightfully pay artists for the work they have done, it is never easy for an individual artist like Lee Seung Gi to resolve settlement issues against a company."
Big Planet Made added, "Mr. Lee Seung Gi fought a lonely battle alone against Hook Entertainment for a long time. But now Big Planet Made Entertainment wants to join Lee Seung Gi's choice to take the arduous legal fight to prevent a second or third Lee Seung Gi from occurring," yet only two years later he parted ways with Lee Seung Gi over the same issue.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]