Composer accuses broadcaster Cheon Myeong-hun of stealing his song: 'I want to prevent further harm'

Cheon Myeong-hun, a broadcaster and former member of the group NRG, has been accused of stealing another composer's song.

Composer Lee Jin-wook filed a complaint in July against Cheon and trot music producer A on charges of obstruction of business and fraud, according to The Fact.

According to Lee, Cheon received a demo of a song called "Jjigeosseo" from him in 2019 and performed it on TV Chosun's "Yeonaeui Mat" ("Taste of Love"), presenting it as his own composition. When Lee contacted Cheon after seeing the broadcast, Cheon said a broadcast writer had done it without his knowledge.

Lee claims Cheon staged the incident to register the song under his own name as copyright holder. Because copyright registration requires not only authorship of the lyrics and music but also "public disclosure," Lee argues Cheon performed the song on "Yeonaeui Mat" specifically to satisfy that requirement.

"When I got the copyright registered, Cheon got angry at me and said, 'It's already been broadcast under my name — how could you just go ahead and register it?'" Lee told The Fact.

Lee said he had been unable to bring the matter to public attention at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other circumstances, but decided to speak out after another alleged plagiarism case came to light.

In January, trot music producer A allegedly used "Jjigeosseo" without authorization and released it as a song by singer B, registering the work under A's own name as both lyricist and composer.

Lee subsequently filed a police complaint against both Cheon and producer A. The investigation into A is ongoing.

The case against Cheon was closed last month without referral to prosecutors. Police determined that there was no evidence Lee was actively working as a composer, meaning obstruction of business could not be established; that Cheon had received his performance fee from the broadcaster rather than from Lee, meaning Lee suffered no financial loss; and that the statute of limitations had expired.

Lee said he plans to appeal the decision. "The song 'Jjigeosseo' that Cheon sang on 'Yeonaeui Mat' is still listed as his composition and lyrics and is available through the on-demand replay service," he said. "It makes no sense to say there's no harm when my song was stolen. I want to bring this absurd situation to light and prevent further harm."

Cheon told The Fact the matter had been fully resolved. "The police investigation into the composer Lee Jin-wook matter is all done and it was settled without any problem. I have nothing more to say," he said.