[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Lee Seung-gi's side issued a lengthy official statement regarding the imprisonment of Cha Ga-won, head of ONE HUNDRED, and the failure to return jeonse deposits. It said the case was "not a simple civil default, but a criminal offense" and signaled a strong response.
On the 6th, Lee Seung-gi's legal representatives, attorneys Yoon Yong-seok and Jang Jae-won of Hyunmyeong Law Firm, said in a statement, "As today is the maturity date of the jeonse contract signed with Cha Ga-won, we are issuing this official position because of the many inquiries we have received."
Lee Seung-gi's side first explained that it had refrained from speaking publicly because the jeonse contract issue was a private matter unrelated to his entertainment activities.
The legal representatives said, "The artist considered the unresolved payments to staff and the dispute over the exclusive contract to be the most important issues related to Cha Ga-won," adding, "The jeonse deposit loss is the largest, but we judged that preventing damage to staff and restoring normal entertainment activities should come first over personal asset losses."
However, they stressed that they could no longer remain silent because Cha Ga-won's arrest coincided with the maturity date of the jeonse contract. Lee Seung-gi's side described the case as "not a simple failure to return a jeonse deposit, but a planned jeonse fraud."
The legal representatives argued, "A sophisticated fraud scheme appears to have been strategically used, in which a famous entertainer was induced to take out a large jeonse loan and then had the deposit stolen," adding, "The nature of the crime is even more malicious than ordinary jeonse fraud."
They also said there were signs that Cha Ga-won's side had already prepared a jeonse loan under Lee Seung-gi's name before the contract was signed.
According to Lee Seung-gi's side, Cha Ga-won's side had initially agreed to sell the property to Hyolim Industrial for about 7 billion won, but after canceling that deal, it pursued a higher-value jeonse contract with the agency's artist without disclosing the change.
They also claimed that the appraisal process was first conducted as a "collateral property for Lee Taemin" before being changed to a "collateral property for Lee Seung-gi," suggesting that they had already prepared the jeonse contract while knowing that a loan of about 7.3 billion won would be executed.
In particular, they pointed out that Cha Ga-won's couple received the jeonse deposit and then immediately had ownership of the high-priced property transferred from the trust company. They argued, "It appears they deliberately devised a fraudulent scheme in which the jeonse loan money of a famous entertainer was used as if it were personal funds and was not returned after the contract ended."
They added, "We expect the facts and charges to be clearly established by investigative authorities in the future."
Lee Seung-gi's side also claimed that there were accomplices besides Cha Ga-won. The legal representatives said, "Cha Ga-won has been arrested, but the accomplices who helped him are still living off the proceeds of crime," adding, "It appears that multiple conspirators, including a spouse, real estate brokers, and those involved in loans and appraisals, each carried out their roles like interlocking gears."
They also criticized Cha Ga-won's side for repeatedly saying until recently that there would be no problem returning the jeonse deposit, only to fail to keep the promise. Lee Seung-gi's side said, "They told the court that the jeonse deposit would be returned without issue, and even just a few days ago they notified us of the same thing, but all of it was a lie," adding, "Today, Cha Ga-won's spouse avoided responsibility by saying that repayment was difficult because Cha Ga-won, the contracting party, was absent."
They continued, "We trusted them and even prepared to move, but even the moving expenses have now become part of the damage."
Criticism was also directed at Cha Ga-won's legal representative. Lee Seung-gi's side said, "Cha Ga-won's lawyer has said on YouTube that there is no secrecy between him and his client, to the point of saying, 'I need to question my client harshly' and 'I defend Chairman Cha Ga-won while holding him half in hand.'" They added, "If that is the case, then he can no longer evade responsibility for the repeated lies."
Finally, Lee Seung-gi's side said, "Cha Ga-won's arrest has allowed the staff and artists to feel some relief," but added, "There is still an investigation remaining into the criminal allegations centered on Cha Ga-won."
They emphasized, "We will work to ensure that Cha Ga-won's side is punished severely so that such crimes are not repeated in the future, while also doing our best in our core entertainment activities."
Meanwhile, Chairman Cha Ga-won was arrested on the 3rd on suspicion of fraud worth more than 30 billion won, including allegations that he took investment money under the pretext of entertainment intellectual property (IP) business and issues related to jeonse deposits.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
