Singer-actor Lee Seung-gi raised allegations over a jeonse lease contract for a luxury villa owned by Cha Ga-won, chair of p_Arc Group and head of One Hundred. Lee's side said Lee moved in at Cha's urging but was asked right after the move to pay a jeonse deposit more than three times higher than the amount first discussed.
MBC's "PD Notebook" covered the controversy over unpaid settlement money at One Hundred and allegations surrounding Chair Cha in the episode "MC MONG and the chairman's K-pop trade secrets," which aired on the 2nd. The broadcast included a statement from Lee Seung-gi's side, an explanation from the legal representative, and an interview with Cha.
According to the broadcast, a luxury villa developed in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, by p_Arc Group, where Cha serves as CEO, housed Lee Seung-gi, formerly an artist at One Hundred, and EXO's Baekhyun on jeonse leases. Lee reportedly signed a jeonse contract for the villa in 2024 with a 10.5 billion won deposit, while Baekhyun signed for the same villa in 2025 with a 16 billion won deposit.
PD Notebook reported that large loans were also taken out when the two moved in on jeonse. The program noted that the loan amount on the dwellings, which was around 3.6 billion won before Lee's move-in, more than tripled afterward.
Through a statement released on the program, Lee's side said, "Chair Cha said the unit above his was empty and continually urged us to move in on jeonse, saying he wanted to live close by and lean on us," adding, "We declined multiple times, but he appealed that he had no one else to rely on."
They also raised issues with how the jeonse deposit was calculated. Lee's side said, "We had to move in on jeonse urgently, and while saying the appraisal was delayed, they did not finalize the exact jeonse amount, then right after the move demanded a jeonse sum more than three times what was first mentioned."
Lee's side said a promise regarding the burden of loan interest was also not kept. Lee's side said, "When we said we didn't have that large an amount, Chair Cha said he had arranged all the loans and would shoulder the interest to the end," adding, "The promised jeonse loan interest is also not being paid." Lee's side said they had no choice but to sign the contract because the move had already been completed.
In the PD Notebook interview, Chair Cha countered to the effect that he had borne the artists' loan interest for three years. However, the program said the interest was paid not with Cha's personal funds but with company funds, and that in recent months the celebrities have been paying it themselves.
The broadcast also raised the possibility that high-priced jeonse contracts using celebrities' names may have affected market prices. An appraiser and attorneys appearing on PD Notebook explained that a structure in which the jeonse price is set high, the tenant is made to take out a loan, and the lender offers to pay the interest on the tenant's behalf could pose problems in jeonse fraud or in the price-formation process.
After the broadcast, Cha's side countered through the press and other channels that Lee's side appeared to be mistaken about the facts. They said they had contacted Lee's attorney to offer a chance to correct and were awaiting a response. Regarding the allegations surrounding the villa, Cha's side reportedly countered that all units had been sold, the property was popular at the time, and they simply did not sell to people who could not provide proof of funds.
Meanwhile, some One Hundred artists, including Lee Seung-gi, have notified the company of the termination of their exclusive contracts, citing unpaid settlements. Cha's side said the PD Notebook report was distorted, denied the allegations, and signaled legal action.