"No Political Agitation"… Lee Seunghwan and 100 Ticket Holders Sue Gumi City for Damages

Complaint to Be Filed Against Gumi Mayor and Gumi City for Damages
Plans to Donate All Compensation if Victorious

Singer Lee Seunghwan has filed a lawsuit for damages against Gumi Mayor and others over the unilateral cancellation of his concert, while simultaneously expressing his position.

On the 22nd, Lee Seunghwan filed a complaint at the Seoul Central District Court against Mayor Kim Jangho of Gumi and Gumi City for the unilateral cancellation of the 'Lee Seunghwan 35th Anniversary Concert' scheduled for December 25 last year. Lawyer Lim Jaesung of Haemaru Law Firm, representing Lee Seunghwan and other plaintiffs, is scheduled to hold a press briefing in front of the courtroom at 11 a.m. that day. He is expected to represent the positions of Lee Seunghwan and multiple plaintiffs.

Singer Lee Seunghwan files a lawsuit for damages against the Mayor of Gumi and others over the unilateral cancellation of a concert and simultaneously expresses his position. On the 22nd, Lee Seunghwan submitted a complaint for damages to the Seoul Central District Court against Mayor Kim Jangho of Gumi and the Gumi City government regarding the unilateral cancellation of the 'Lee Seunghwan 35th Anniversary Concert' scheduled for December 25 last year. Lee Seunghwan Instagram

Earlier, Gumi City canceled Lee Seunghwan’s nationwide tour 'HEAVEN' concert in Gumi, which was scheduled to be held at the Gumi Culture and Arts Center Grand Theater on the 25th of last year. At the time, Mayor Kim Jangho of Gumi announced the cancellation of the concert venue, citing concerns over potential physical clashes between the audience and conservative right-wing groups. In response, Lee Seunghwan stated, "Gumi City claims it was a decision for safety, but I cannot agree," and warned of legal action, saying, "The legal and economic responsibilities arising from the cancellation decision should not be borne by Gumi City’s taxpayers but by those involved in making such a decision."

At that time, Lee Seunghwan rebutted the cancellation decision by stating that the real reason was his refusal to sign a pledge stating, "I will not engage in political agitation or political misunderstandings," which was required by the Gumi Culture and Arts Center’s performance permit regulations. In particular, Lee emphasized, "Is it necessary to be asked right before the performance to 'sign a document pledging not to engage in political misunderstandings or similar behavior' and warned that 'if you do not sign, the performance may be canceled'?" He stressed, "This should never happen in a democratic country where freedom of expression is the highest value."

He further stated, "I do not engage in 'political agitation.' Since my performances have never been political events, there has never been a problem with venue permits until now," and emphasized, "I will point out and change these issues to raise the level of our society." Meanwhile, Lee Seunghwan revealed, "If I win the lawsuit, I plan to donate the entire amount to the Uri Kkum Bit Youth Orchestra in Gumi," and added, "If the lawyer receives a success fee, I also intend to donate a significant portion of that."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.