Appeals court to summon Gumi mayor in singer Lee Seung-hwan's concert cancellation lawsuit

Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho has been ordered to appear in court for a party examination in the appeals trial of a damages lawsuit stemming from the cancellation of singer Lee Seung-hwan's 2024 Gumi concert.

The Seoul High Court's Civil Division 9, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Jae-kwon, announced at a continued appeals hearing that it would conduct a party examination of Mayor Kim, according to Yonhap. The lawsuit was filed by Lee, his agency Dream Factory and ticketholders for the Gumi concert.

The examination is scheduled for the next hearing on Dec. 10.

At the first appeals hearing, Lee's side argued that a party examination was necessary to determine what the mayor had in mind when he decided on the disputed measure. "We need to confirm, through his own words, what Mayor Kim was thinking at the time he made the decision in question," Lee's legal team said.

Gumi city's side rebuffed the request, saying Kim's appearance in court was irrelevant to the issues at hand.

Gumi city canceled the venue booking for Lee's 35th-anniversary debut concert, which had been scheduled for Dec. 25, 2024, just two days before the event, citing public and audience safety. Mayor Kim said at the time that Lee's side had refused to submit a written pledge promising to refrain from political statements or conduct.

In response, Lee's side filed a lawsuit in January last year, arguing that the demand for a pledge and the subsequent cancellation of the venue booking were unjust.

In the first-instance ruling, the court ordered Gumi city to pay Lee 35 million won ($26,100), pay his agency 75 million won and compensate each of 100 ticketholders 150,000 won. The total damages came to around 125 million won. However, the court did not find Mayor Kim personally liable for damages.