[Kang Daniel's Instagram]
[Kang Daniel's Instagram]

Singer Kang Daniel has won a lawsuit filed against him by Genie Music, which had expected to earn at least 2.2 billion won ($1.58 million) from his concerts but fell short of that target.

Civil Division 13 of the Seoul High Court recently ruled in favor of Kang in an appeal of a damages suit filed by Genie Music against Kang and his then-agency Connect Entertainment, which had sought about 700 million won in compensation.

The ruling overturned a first-instance decision that had partially sided with Genie Music, ordering Kang's side to pay about 400 million won.

The dispute stemmed from a performance contract Genie Music and Connect Entertainment signed in June 2022. Under the agreement, Kang was to perform 25 concerts and encore shows at home and abroad through June 30, 2023, in exchange for a performance fee of 2.2 billion won. The contract also stipulated that if Genie Music failed to recoup 2.2 billion won from concert revenue, additional performances would be held to cover the shortfall.

Kang performed in Seoul, the Philippines, Thailand and elsewhere, but cumulative revenue reached only about 1.48 billion won — falling short by roughly 720 million won.

The first-instance court ruled that because Kang had attached a performance confirmation to the contract, he was jointly liable with Connect Entertainment for the damages. However, it also noted that Genie Music had waited 11 months after the contract ended before notifying the parties of the breach, making it difficult to hold Kang solely responsible.

The appeals court reached a different conclusion, finding that Kang had faithfully fulfilled his contractual performance obligations. It cited the absence of any request for additional concerts to make up the revenue gap, as well as the fact that the issue was not raised until 11 months after the contract expired, and concluded that Kang could not be held personally liable.


paq@heraldcorp.com