A poster for singer Lee Seung-hwan's 35th anniversary concert [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Singer Lee Seung-hwan partially won a damages suit against the city of Gumi, North Gyeongsang, over the cancellation of his concert just days before it was scheduled to take place because of safety issues between conservative right-wing groups and concertgoers.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled Friday partially in favor of Lee and others who filed a 250 million won ($170,000) damages suit against Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho and the city of Gumi.
The court ordered the city to pay a total of 125 million won in compensation to the plaintiffs — singer Lee, his agency Dream Factory Club and 100 ticket holders.
“Gumi city shall pay 35 million won to Lee Seung-hwan, 75 million won to the agency Dream Factory Club and 150,000 won each to 100 ticket holders,” the court said.
Lee’s concert had originally been scheduled to take place at the Gumi Culture and Arts Center on Dec. 25, 2024. His agency applied to rent the venue on July 31 that year and received approval.
However, five days before the concert, Mayor Kim demanded that Lee and the head of his agency, Dream Factory Club, sign a written pledge stating that they would not engage in political agitation or remarks that could cause misunderstanding.
Singer Lee Seung-hwan [DREAM FACTORY CLUB]
After they refused, Gumi city canceled the venue rental two days before the concert, citing safety concerns over possible clashes between conservative right-wing groups and concert attendees.
The singer is well-known for being open about his political opinions, often leaning toward liberal views. The country was also in an extremely politically sensitive situation after former president Yoon Suk Yeol had declared emergency martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, just 20 days earlier.
At the time, local civic groups had announced protests against the concert after Lee said during another performance, “It feels good to see him impeached. I think the world will become a more comfortable place from now on,” in reference to the National Assembly’s vote to impeach former President Yoon. The former president was impeached on Dec. 14, 2024.
In response, Lee, Dream Factory Club and 100 concert ticket holders filed a 250 million won damages suit against Mayor Kim and Gumi city. The lawsuit sought 100 million won for Lee Seung-hwan, 100 million won for the agency and 500,000 won each for the concertgoers, totaling 50 million won.
Right-wing protestors rally against Lee Seung-hwan's concert in Gumi on Dec. 19, 2024, after the singer showed support for former president Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. [NEWS1]
After the ruling, Lee released a statement expressing disappointment over the court's ruling involving Gumi Mayor Kim.
“The court acknowledged the illegality of the unilateral concert cancellation, the unlawfulness of forcing us to sign a pledge and the irresponsibility of Gumi city for failing to implement safety measures,” Lee said.
“However, the court said Mayor Kim could not be held responsible, which is disappointing.”
“I will not stop here. I will appeal and pursue justice to the end,” the singer added. “I will protect the conscience of musicians and artistic freedom, which administrative power should never infringe upon.”
Separately, Lee also filed a constitutional complaint over the same case in February last year, claiming that his freedom of conscience and artistic freedom had been violated, but the Constitutional Court dismissed the petition during a preliminary review by a designated panel. The court said the dismissal was “on the grounds that there was no legal interest in protecting the claimed rights.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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