Organizer sues SECHSKIES' Lee Jai-jin for defamation following canceled dinner show

Following the cancellation of a dinner show that some members of SECHSKIES were scheduled to attend, the CEO of the organizing company has sued Lee Jai-jin for defamation, escalating the controversy into a legal battle. The issue, triggered by Lee Jai-jin's public disclosure of the CEO's real name, has moved beyond the cancellation of the performance into legal action, though the organizer emphasized that this is a private dispute between individuals and is unrelated to conflicts among SECHSKIES members or the group's activities.

Mountain Movement Story, the organizer of the performance, stated in an official position released on the 11th that its CEO, referred to as Mr. A, has filed a defamation complaint regarding Lee Jai-jin's public social media posts. The company emphasized that the lawsuit is not directed at the organizing company or the event itself, but is a legal response initiated directly by the individual whose real name was disclosed in the posts.

Mr. A explained, "This lawsuit is unrelated to the SECHSKIES members or group activities, and it is not a lawsuit against Mountain Movement Story or this event." He further stated, "This is a defamation complaint filed by the individual against Lee Jai-jin regarding the parts of the public social media posts where a specific individual's real name was directly mentioned and details regarding that individual's method of receiving money and refund situations were specified."

The organizer cautioned against interpreting the matter as an expansion of internal group conflicts. "We hope this matter is not interpreted as a legal dispute related to conflicts between SECHSKIES members or group activities," the company stated, clarifying the nature of the legal action in an apparent attempt to prevent fan interest from spreading to the entire group.

The complaint has been transferred to the relevant authorities. The specific facts and legal liabilities are expected to be confirmed through future lawful investigation procedures. Mountain Movement Story added, "We will not make additional comments on unconfirmed details or continue unnecessary disputes regarding the ongoing legal proceedings."

The starting point of this legal dispute was Lee Jai-jin's public declaration of non-participation in the dinner show. On the 10th, Lee Jai-jin announced via his social media that he would not attend the dinner show "The Three: SECHSKIES’ Untold Stories," which was scheduled to be held on December 15–16 at the INSPIRE Arena in Incheon. While it was originally known that Ko Ji-yong, Jang Su-won, and Lee Jai-jin were to appear, Lee Jai-jin claimed that he had not confirmed his appearance.

He drew a clear line regarding his participation, stating, "I have already conveyed my intention not to attend several times, and in a situation where I have not even signed a contract, my appearance is being promoted as if it were confirmed, and the entity promoting the event is being reported differently from the facts." He particularly emphasized that he has no connection to the hosting of the event and raised issues regarding the promotion process.

Lee Jai-jin claimed that he belatedly learned that Mr. A, the CEO of the organizer, had been contacting fans individually and receiving cash deposits into personal accounts during the ticket reservation process. He explained that this was why he had conveyed his intention not to attend several times. In this process, the posts mentioning Mr. A's real name and the methods of receiving money and refund situations became the center of controversy, leading to the formal legal confrontation after Mr. A filed the complaint.

Following Lee Jai-jin's exposure, the organizers also moved to refute his claims, stating they were untrue. However, as the controversy surrounding the appearance and the event promotion process spread, the scheduled dinner show ultimately entered the process of cancellation. Following the disappointment of fans due to the failed performance, the matter has expanded from a simple controversy over non-participation into a dispute awaiting legal judgment due to the personal defamation lawsuit.

However, the information released so far consists of the claims of Lee Jai-jin and Mr. A, as well as the official position of the organizer. Whether the actual money transfers and refund processes occurred, whether a performance contract exists, and whether the social media posts constitute defamation are matters that must be confirmed through investigation and legal procedures. Attention should be paid to the organizer's explanation that this is a dispute between individuals occurring during the event promotion process, rather than concluding it is a conflict between SECHSKIES members.

Read the original (Korean)