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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Appeal Opens in Concert Cancellation Damages Case as Lee Seung-hwan Seeks Mayor’s Testimony

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • An appeals court began hearing Lee Seung-hwan’s 250 million won damages case against Gumi and Mayor Kim Jang-ho over a concert venue cancellation.
  • Lee’s side asked the court to question Kim directly about the decision, while the defendants argued his testimony was unrelated to the dispute.
  • A lower court ordered Gumi to pay 125 million won but rejected personal liability for Kim, whose testimony the appeals court will decide on later.

The appeal over Gumi’s cancellation of a Lee Seung-hwan concert began with a request to put the city’s mayor on the witness stand.

Lee, his agency Dream Factory and concertgoers who had bought tickets are seeking 250 million won in damages from Gumi and Mayor Kim Jang-ho. The city cancelled the venue booking two days before the concert after Lee declined to sign a pledge not to engage in political activity.

There was no concrete way to verify the perceptions and considerations held when the cancellation decision was made other than through Mayor Kim’s direct statements.

· Lee Seung-hwan’s legal teamThe team used this argument to request direct questioning of the Gumi mayor.

At the first hearing on Sept. 3, Lee’s side asked the Seoul High Court’s Civil Division 9 to question Kim directly. The lawyers said they had no concrete way to verify what Kim knew and considered when the cancellation decision was made other than through the mayor’s own statements.

They argued that Kim should appear in court and explain the context of the decision so the issue could receive a clear legal judgment. The defendants opposed the request, saying it would be unusual to question an individual in a state-compensation case for the purpose of establishing personal liability. They also argued that Kim’s appearance would not bear on the dispute.

It seems unusual to question the individual to establish personal liability in a state-compensation lawsuit.

· Defense teamThe defendants opposed the request to question Mayor Kim.

The court said it would notify the parties later whether it would allow the questioning. It also told Gumi to clarify why the booking had been cancelled, saying the reason was not clearly established. The city was asked to specify whether officials feared political incitement or cited safety concerns.

In the first trial, the court found Gumi liable and ordered it to pay 125 million won, half the amount claimed. It did not find Kim personally liable. Lee appealed to seek recognition of the mayor’s individual responsibility.

It does not appear to be clearly established what caused the cancellation of the venue booking.

· Seoul High CourtThe judges asked Gumi to clarify whether political or safety concerns prompted the decision.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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