Chagawon, the CEO of entertainment agency One Hundred, has denied all fraud charges amounting to 30 billion won during his first court hearing.
In a session held on October 13 at the Seoul Central District Court, Chagawon’s attorney stated, "We deny all allegations under the Specific Economic Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act." However, no specific counterarguments were presented at that time. The defense requested more time to review the case records and indicated that detailed arguments and evidence would be provided at the next hearing.
Chagawon was arrested and indicted in August for allegedly receiving 24.2 billion won in advance payments for a business proposal utilizing the intellectual property (IP) of artists under the agency Nomus, but failing to carry out the promised project. The breakdown of the claimed advance payment includes 12.1 billion won for merchandise production and distribution for Chen Baek-chi, 11 billion won for Taemin's concert and merchandise, and 1.1 billion won for a fan communication platform for Promis9.
Additionally, Chagawon faces allegations of receiving a 5.4 billion won security deposit from an acquaintance, Mr. Jang, under an agreement to lease properties they owned, but failing to fulfill the contract.
During the court session, both sides engaged in a dispute over a compensation order requested by Mr. Jang.
Chagawon’s legal team argued, "The claim that the security deposit was embezzled is questionable, as the tenant has legal rights under the Housing Lease Protection Act, and it is possible to return the deposit through the villa, making fraud difficult to prove and the damage claim unlikely to be upheld."
Conversely, Mr. Jang’s attorney contended, "The security deposit was indeed embezzled," adding that the villa's value is low and significant amounts are secured by senior claims, meaning the amount recoverable through auction would be minimal.
Chagawon, who previously worked in real estate development, co-founded One Hundred with singer MC Mong in 2023. After MC Mong left the company in July of the previous year, Chagawon has been managing the agency.
Meanwhile, contract disputes involving One Hundred and its affiliated labels continue. Artists including The Boyz, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Mu-jin, BIBI, Chen Baek-chi, and broadcaster Kim Dae-ho have reportedly notified the agency of contract terminations or initiated legal actions over unpaid settlement fees.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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