Cha Ga-won's lawyer pushes back on 10.5 billion won jeonse fraud allegations, releases texts attributed to Lee Seung-gi

The legal representative of Cha Ga-won, chairman of Piarc Group, has announced plans to refute allegations surrounding singer Lee Seung-gi's 10.5 billion won ($6.79 million) jeonse contract in Hannam-dong.

Attorney Hyeon Dong-yeop launched a new YouTube channel, "Hyeon Dong-yeop's Highest Guard," on Monday and posted a teaser video titled "Preview: The Secret Behind MBC and Lee Seung-gi's Hannam-dong 'Jeonse Fraud.'" The full video is set to be released Thursday.

In the teaser, Hyeon raised questions about the allegations surrounding Lee's 10.5 billion won jeonse arrangement in Hannam-dong.

Lee signed an exclusive contract in 2024 with One Hundred Label, a talent agency founded by Cha. He subsequently moved into La Nuvo 1, a luxury villa in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, built by Piarc Group under Cha's leadership, paying a jeonse deposit of 10.5 billion won for a property owned by Cha. On an MBC "PD Notebook" broadcast that aired June 2, Lee's side alleged that Cha had refused to finalize the deposit amount and then, immediately after Lee moved in, demanded a sum more than three times the market price initially discussed. Lee's side further claimed that Cha had arranged the financing himself and promised to cover the loan interest indefinitely, leaving Lee with no choice but to sign the contract after he had already relocated. Cha, however, later fell into financial difficulty, stopped covering the interest payments and even had the property seized after failing to pay taxes — leading to widespread interpretation that Lee had fallen victim to so-called jeonse fraud, with the fate of his 10.5 billion won deposit uncertain.

Hyeon pushed back against those allegations, arguing that "this may not be a jeonse fraud case" and that "the possibility that it was orchestrated to terminate the exclusive contract must also be examined."

He released messages purportedly sent by Lee to Cha that expressed satisfaction with the property, including: "I've finally fully moved into La Nuvo," "The house is really great," "Thank you for letting me move into La Nuvo, Chairman," and "There's a sense of stability in living together."

Hyeon drew particular attention to messages in which Lee appeared to ask about the appraisal process — including "Do I not need to worry about the desktop appraisal?" and "Hope the property valuation goes smoothly" — arguing that Lee "knew everything." A desktop appraisal is an abbreviated property valuation conducted without an on-site visit, based on documents and surrounding market prices. While the teaser offered no detailed explanation, the remarks appeared intended to counter Lee's claim that Cha had arranged the financing and demanded a deposit three times the market price.

On the jeonse fraud allegations, Hyeon said: "Lee Seung-gi, Cha Ga-won and Wando Suhyup — the lender — are all joint principals in this so-called jeonse fraud. How on earth is this jeonse fraud?"

Hyeon also previewed further disclosures based on a forensic examination of Cha's mobile phone. "I will reveal the truth of this case one by one, based on materials obtained through the phone forensics," he said, adding that the revelations "will send considerable shockwaves through the entertainment industry."

이승기 ‘105억 전세’ 집값 올리기 작전이었나…“이자 내주겠다며 전세금 3배 부풀려”

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