Gumi City Must Pay 125 Million Won for Canceling Lee Seunghwan’s Concert Two Days Before Event, Court Rules

District Court Rules Partially in Favor of Lee Seunghwan

A district court has ruled that the city of Gumi must compensate singer Lee Seunghwan and concert ticket holders a total of 125 million won after the city canceled the venue reservation for Lee’s concert just two days before the event.

According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on May 8, Judge Park Namjun of the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 913 delivered a partial ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in a damages lawsuit worth 250 million won, filed by Lee Seunghwan and others against Mayor Kim Jangho and the city of Gumi.

The court ordered, "Gumi City must pay 35 million won to Lee Seunghwan, 75 million won to Dream Factory, and 1.5 million won each to 100 concert ticket holders." However, the court did not recognize any liability for damages on the part of Mayor Kim Jangho personally.

Lee Seunghwan 35th Anniversary Concert Poster. Photo by Lee Seunghwan Instagram capture

This case arose after Gumi City canceled Lee Seunghwan’s concert, scheduled to be held at the Gumi City Arts Center on December 25, 2024, just two days before the performance date.

After the December 3 Martial Law and the impeachment of former President Yoon, Gumi City requested that Lee Seunghwan’s side sign a written pledge stating, "We will not engage in any political agitation or make politically sensitive remarks during the concert." Lee Seunghwan’s team replied that they "would not engage in political agitation," instead of signing the pledge. Subsequently, Gumi City cited the possibility of unpredictable physical clashes due to "concerns for the safety of citizens and the audience" as the reason for the cancellation.

At that time, local civic groups had announced plans to hold protests against the concert, after Lee Seunghwan commented at another regional performance on the passage of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment motion, saying, "I’m glad about the impeachment. I think the world will become a more comfortable place now."

Subsequently, Lee Seunghwan, his management agency, and concert ticket holders filed a lawsuit, claiming "mental and financial damages resulting from the cancellation." Lee Seunghwan demanded 100 million won in compensation for emotional distress, his agency sought 100 million won for losses from the canceled concert, and ticket holders, although refunded for their tickets, each requested 500,000 won in compensation for losing the opportunity to attend the concert.

Following the trial, Lee Seunghwan, through attorney Lim Jaeseong who represented the case, stated, "(Mayor Kim, at a previous press conference) claimed that the remark made on stage the day after Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment—‘I’m glad about the impeachment. I think the world will become a more comfortable place now’—was political agitation threatening audience safety." He added, "He [Mayor Kim] never took any actual measures regarding safety."

He continued, "This is a meaningful verdict in that it recognizes the damages suffered by third parties in a concert contract relationship," but also expressed regret, saying, "The court held that Kim Jangho could not be held personally liable. We will appeal to pursue Mayor Kim’s individual responsibility."

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