Lee Seung Gi Wins Post-Contract Revenue Case Against Former Agency Hook Entertainment

Lee Seung Gi has prevailed in another settlement dispute with former agency Hook Entertainment, with a Seoul court ruling that the company remains responsible for sharing revenue generated from his music after their exclusive contract ended.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled partially in Lee’s favor on August 28, awarding approximately ₩690 million of the roughly ₩830 million he sought from Hook Entertainment, now Chorokbaem Media.

Lee filed the case in February, arguing that Hook continued earning revenue from his music and albums after their exclusive contract ended in December 2022 and remained obligated to distribute his share.

Hook argued that it had no obligation to settle revenue generated after the contract ended unless the two sides reached a separate agreement.

The court rejected that interpretation.

Their exclusive contract stated that revenue generated after its termination would be settled through a separate agreement. According to the court, the contract’s definitive language established an obligation to settle even if the parties had not subsequently agreed on the precise terms.

The court also found that interpreting the provision otherwise could allow an agency responsible for breaching a contract to benefit from an early termination and then retain all subsequent revenue by refusing to negotiate a settlement.

Lee had sought 70 percent of applicable revenue through August 2024, when the original contract term would have expired, and 50 percent thereafter. The court instead set the respective shares at 60 percent and 40 percent, taking industry practices for post-contract settlements into account.

The ruling adds another chapter to Lee’s years-long dispute with Hook over the accounting of revenue generated during his career.

Lee first publicly challenged the company’s music-revenue accounting in 2022, saying he had not received music royalties despite nearly two decades with the agency. Hook subsequently paid Lee approximately ₩5.4 billion based on its own calculations and pursued separate litigation over whether additional amounts remained due.

In that earlier case, a court ruled in April 2025 that Hook owed Lee an additional approximately ₩581 million related to advertising settlements. Neither side appealed that ruling.