Song Ji-hyo's former agency apologises after losing lawsuit, to repay her at least $1m

After a seven-month legal battle, South Korean actress Song Ji-hyo has finally won the lawsuit against her former agency Uzurocks.

The 42-year-old Running Man star terminated her contract with Uzurocks back in April and sued them the following month over unpaid salaries.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favour of Ji-hyo on Nov 22, citing that the agency owed her 984 million won (S$1.01 million) in unpaid earnings, excluding the amount for delayed interest.

According to South Korean media reports, Uzurocks did not file an appeal after receiving the ruling on Nov 28.

They revealed their reason yesterday (Dec 13) after the period of appeal was over: "It is right for us to pay [the settlement amount]. It was our mistake."

Ji-hyo joined Uzurocks in Oct 2022 and reportedly had not been receiving her wages since.

She revealed to the press in May that her main concern was not her own salary, but the salaries of her colleagues.

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She said back then: "I can live without that money right away. But the employees have become credit defaulters. Their credit cards have been blocked and their mobile phones have been cut off.

"The two million won Porsche lease fee for the CEO of Uzurocks (Park Joo-nam) is a luxury, but the monthly salary of two million won that these employees should receive is for their livelihood."

Besides the settlement lawsuit, Ji-hyo also filed a criminal complaint against Park on charges of embezzlement.

She is now signed with Nexus E&M, a new entertainment label.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com