Trot singer Eun Ga-eun has refuted her agency's claim that "the settlement funds were actually overpaid."
On the 28th, Eun Ga-eun released a second statement to counter her agency's claims. Eun Ga-eun's side stated, "We have not received any supporting documents regarding the settlement funds for the past four years," and added, "The recently provided settlement documents were arbitrarily organized by the agency in Excel files and are not objective evidence." They further stated, "We requested objective settlement documents again on November 10 but did not receive them, and it was only on November 26 that some materials were sent, but we could not verify the entire content."
Regarding the agency's claim that "there has not been a single penny less paid in settlement funds, and recent settlement checks confirmed that there were actually overpayments," Eun Ga-eun responded, "The CEO has excessively included golf outing expenses, entertainment expenses, and more in the costs and claims that there is an overpayment of settlement funds," adding, "We plan to clarify this through legal proceedings."
She also mentioned, "On November 21, I requested that the settlement funds be paid as organized by the agency, but the agency ignored it."
Regarding negligence, she explained, "There have been numerous issues such as interference with broadcast schedules and a lack of communication with composers, which hindered the progress of song production, and we have evidence of this."
Earlier that morning, Eun Ga-eun's legal representative, lawyer Lim Sa-ra, informed Star Today that they had sent a content certification to the agency TSM Entertainment, indicating that they had notified the termination of the exclusive contract. Lawyer Lim explained, "The agency has obstructed the schedule and the production of new songs, and the settlement funds have not been paid. Even when we requested supporting documents for the payment of settlement funds, they have not provided them."
In response, the agency stated in an official position, "As of today, we have not received any termination notice or lawsuit regarding Eun Ga-eun's exclusive contract, and we confirmed through articles that a termination notice was issued," adding, "There has not been a single penny less paid in settlement funds. Recent settlement checks confirmed that there were actually overpayments." They also stated, "We have diligently supported Eun Ga-eun even when she requested loans outside of the settlement funds."
The agency further stated, "Eun Ga-eun and we mutually agreed to extend the contract period until June 2028 last February, and we agreed to gradually increase her income distribution ratio," claiming, "As Eun Ga-eun has been growing and becoming more active in her activities since her debut, we hope that similar incidents, such as external tampering (pre-contact by outsiders before the expiration of the exclusive contract), which have recently occurred in the entertainment industry, do not happen again."
Eun Ga-eun debuted as a ballad singer in 2013 before transitioning to a trot singer. She gained significant recognition after placing 7th in the TV Chosun competition program "Miss Trot 2," which aired in 2022. Recently, she began a public relationship with 5-year-younger trot singer Park Hyun-ho and announced plans to marry in April next year.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
