[Newsen Reporter Bae Hyo-joo] Kang Daniel has filed a criminal complaint against the majority shareholder of his agency.
The following is the full official statement from Kang Daniel's side
Hello. We are the legal representative of Kang Daniel (hereinafter 'the client'), from law firm Uri (Attorney in charge: Park Seong-woo). We are conveying the client's position regarding the criminal complaint recently reported in the media.
On the 20th, the client filed a criminal complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the majority shareholder of Connect Entertainment on charges including forgery of private documents, embezzlement, breach of trust, information network intrusion, and computer-related fraud. The client, who has served as both CEO and artist for the past five years, devoted over a year of strenuous effort before proceeding with the criminal complaint to minimize harm to the agency's artists (who have trusted and followed him like family), employees, and third-party contract partners. However, having concluded that there was no other solution but to seek legal accountability, he has proceeded with the criminal complaint with a heavy heart.
1. Regarding the charge of forgery of private documents and exercising such documents In January 2023, the client learned that a prepaid distribution contract worth approximately 10 billion won had been signed in December 2022 using the CEO's name without the client's knowledge, by affixing the corporate seal. The contract was executed without the CEO's approval and the artist's consent. Despite repeatedly inquiring about the contract's procedures and key terms, he received no response, and eventually had to personally obtain bank transaction records to verify the facts.
2. Regarding the charge of embezzlement It has been confirmed that at least 2 billion won was withdrawn from the agency's accounts through overseas remittances and business income processing without any legal procedures such as CEO approval, board resolution, or shareholder meeting.
3. Regarding the charge of breach of trust It was also discovered that tens of millions of won was spent using an unnamed corporate card, and the accounting records were falsely entered as the client's prop expenses, etc.
4. Regarding the charges of information network intrusion and computer-related fraud In the process of reviewing the company's financial transaction records, the client confirmed that over 1.7 billion won had been withdrawn from his personal bank account without his knowledge.
To all who have read the related articles and are concerned about Kang Daniel's damage and pain, we are grateful and sorry. This is especially so because we know from past experience how much concern you show when legal proceedings are underway. However, hoping that such injustices will no longer occur in our popular culture and arts industry, and that this case will be the last, we have mustered great courage. We will share our position again once the substance of the case is revealed through a thorough investigation by the authorities. Thank you.
*We would like to correct one point in the media reports.
The contract related to the forgery of private documents is valued at approximately 10 billion won, but it is difficult to directly count that as company damages. Therefore, we inform you that media reports claiming damages of around 14 billion won are inconsistent with the facts of the complaint.