"No Apology Made": Lee Seunghwan to Appeal Against Gumi Mayor... "Tax Money Must Not Be Used"

Partial Victory in First Trial Over Concert Cancellation Lawsuit
"Legal Team to Expand to 10 Members" as Appeal Announced

Singer Lee Seunghwan has announced that he will file an appeal against Kim Jangho, Mayor of Gumi, following the first trial ruling in the damages lawsuit related to the cancellation of his Gumi concert. Lee previously stated that he would accept the first trial verdict if Mayor Kim issued a public apology. However, as no apology was made, Lee now plans to hold Kim personally accountable once again.

Singer Lee Seunghwan

On May 14, Lee announced on his social media (SNS), "In the end, there will be no apology of any kind," and added, "As I mentioned, I will proceed with the appeal." He also stated that he would expand his legal team from the existing two members to ten.

This lawsuit began when Lee Seunghwan's concert, scheduled for December 25, 2024, in Gumi, was canceled two days before the event. At the time, Gumi City requested that Lee's side submit a pledge not to make any political statements. When Lee refused, the city canceled the booking of the Gumi City Culture & Arts Center, citing potential clashes between some conservative groups and the audience as one of the reasons. Lee's side argued that both the demand for a pledge and the unilateral cancellation of the venue were unjust, and filed a damages lawsuit.

After the first trial verdict, Lee expressed his willingness to accept the court's decision if Mayor Kim issued a public apology. He told the mayor, "All it takes is a simple, honest admission like, 'Brother, I made a mistake,'" and added, "If you apologize, I will accept the entire first trial verdict." However, Lee clarified that he does not wish for Gumi City to bear any additional compensation burden, and stated that regardless of whether an apology is made, he would not appeal against the city.

Jangho Kim, Mayor of Gumi. Photo by Yonhap News.

However, no public apology was made by Mayor Kim. As a result, Lee confirmed his intention to appeal, saying, "I will thoroughly examine whether there are any loopholes in the State Compensation Act so that those responsible cannot escape legal accountability if they cause substantial damages through arbitrary and anti-democratic decisions that go against social norms."

Lee stated, "As a senior figure in the music scene and as a fellow artist, I want to leave a legal precedent that contributes to the coexistence and advancement of society and the arts." He added, "I will make sure that local governments can no longer arbitrarily deny or cancel venue bookings at their discretion." Lee then directed a comment at Mayor Kim, saying, "This time, you must not use taxpayers’ money."

Previously, on May 8, Judge Park Namjun of the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 913 ruled in favor of part of the plaintiffs in a 250 million won damages claim filed by Lee Seunghwan, his agency Dream Factory Club, and 100 ticket holders against Gumi City and Mayor Kim.

The court ordered Gumi City to pay 35 million won to Lee Seunghwan, 75 million won to Dream Factory Club, and 1.5 million won to each of the 100 ticket holders. The total compensation awarded was 125 million won. However, the court did not recognize Mayor Kim's personal liability for compensation.

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