Actor Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, has refuted allegations regarding settlement payments.
On the 19th, Gold Medalist stated, "We believe it is necessary to clarify the facts regarding today's article and share the necessary information."
The Gold Medalist side explained, "Listed companies follow international accounting standards (K-IFRS), while unlisted companies follow general corporate accounting standards (K-GAAP), so it is unreasonable to compare the accounting treatment of our listed and unlisted company," adding, "In our case, the actor's distribution amount is included in the cost of sales according to general corporate accounting standards (K-GAAP), so there is no accounting issue."
Regarding the location of the investment association's headquarters, they added, "We legally registered the address at the time of business registration. Due to the nature of investment associations, it is virtually non-existent to work in a physical office, and it is the same now."
The Gold Medalist side emphasized that they are practicing compliance management, stating, "We have been under a legal advisory contract with law firm LKB Pyeongsan for several years, conducting thorough legal reviews across management, and there are no illegal matters in our management."
Previously, Sisa Journal reported that Gold Medalist paid a total of 670 million won in settlement payments to its affiliated entertainers from 2020 to 2024 over five years. They raised questions by mentioning that the typical settlement ratio between agencies and actors is 20:80 or 10:90.
They also pointed out that the Barun No. 2 Investment Association, which holds 100% of Gold Medalist's shares, is not located at the registered business address, raising suspicions about its existence.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
