Singer Lee Gi Kwang, who sued Kim Geun Tae of the People's Party for defamation, has won the first round of defamation trial.
Lee Ki-Kwang's agency, Around Us Entertainment official, said in an official position on the 15th, "We have filed a civil and criminal complaint against Kim Geun Tae on April 13th for defamation of our artist, LeeGi Kwang, for the spread of false information about chart manipulation."
Kim Geun-tae of the People's Party, who was subjected to civil and criminal lawsuits for insisting on manipulating the music charts of singer Lee Gi Kwang, expressed his will to appeal.
On the 15th of October, 2020, Kim Geun Tae told Exsports News that, "I was not aware of the proceeding of a civil damage claim lawsuit, so the ruling was defeated at the first trial without argument."
Gi Kwang's agency added that "Concerning the civil damage claim, we are pleased to inform you that the defendant has won the first victory after receiving a ruling that he is responsible for reimbursement for all property damage and mental damage caused by the defendant's illegal act."
They continued by saying that, "We will do our best to the end and cooperate with the investigation proceedings in the ongoing criminal complaint and the second litigation in the case of the defendant's appeal. We will continue to strive to protect the rights and interests of artists."
Meanwhile, Kim Geun-tae of the People's Party held a press conference in April, insisting that the under marketing company Critiver acquired the music site ID by illegal means and manipulated the 10 singers' ranking. The singers whose real names were mentioned, including Lee Gi Kwang, actively denied manipulation allegations through an official position, suggesting a legal response.
The following is the complete professional admission of Around Us Entertainment:
"On April 13, our company filed a civil and criminal complaint against Kim Geun-tae for defamation of our artist Gi Kwang Gun Lee on the spread of false information on chart manipulation.
Regarding the civil damage claim, we inform you that the defendant's unlawful response to the defendant's unlawful action has resulted in a ruling that the defendant is responsible for reimbursement for all property damages and mental damages caused by the defendant's illegal acts and has won the first victory.
Continued, we will do our best to the end and cooperate with the investigation proceedings in the ongoing criminal complaints and the subsequent second litigation if the defendant appeals.
We will continue to strive to protect the rights and interests of artists in the future."
