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| ▲ This Yonhap file photo shows Cha Ga-won, CEO of entertainment agency One Hundred Label. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Cha Ga-won, CEO of entertainment agency One Hundred Label, denied charges Tuesday at his first trial over alleged fraud involving more than 30 billion won (US$21 million).
Cha's lawyer said at the first hearing of the fraud case under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, held at the Seoul Central District Court, that the defendant "denies all the charges."
The lawyer said, however, that the defense needs more time to review the case records and will present its detailed position and opinions on the evidence at the next hearing.
Cha, who is being held in custody, appeared in court wearing a black blouse, black pants and a mask.
Cha was indicted in August on charges of proposing a business partnership to Nomus Co. using the intellectual property of artists represented by his agency, receiving 24.2 billion won in advance payments and then failing to carry out the actual business.
He is also accused of receiving 5.4 billion won in a deposit after promising an acquaintance that they would enter into jeonse rental contracts for homes owned by each other, but failing to fulfill the agreement.
Cha's defense also argued Tuesday that a compensation order application filed by Jang, the alleged victim in the jeonse deposit case, should be dismissed.
"The claim is that the jeonse deposit was taken through fraud, but it is questionable whether the tenant can be considered a victim because the tenant has legal protection under the Housing Lease Protection Act," the defense said. "Since the deposit can be sufficiently recovered through the villa, it is difficult to establish deception, and we believe a claim for damages should also not be accepted."
Jang's lawyer countered that the deposit had actually been taken through fraud, adding that the villa's value is not high and that substantial senior claims have been registered against the property, meaning the amount that could be recovered through a foreclosure sale would be limited.
Cha, a former chairman of a real estate development company, co-founded One Hundred with singer MC Mong in 2023. After MC Mong left the company following a conflict in July last year, Cha has operated the company alone.
Legal disputes have continued as One Hundred artists, including The Boyz, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Mu-jin, Viviz and EXO members Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin, as well as broadcaster Kim Dae-ho, have successively notified the agency of termination of their exclusive contracts, citing unpaid settlements.
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