It has been revealed that a one-person entertainment agency established by singer Lee Hi operated for more than five years without registering with the relevant authorities. The agency reportedly failed to meet even the government’s grace period for voluntary registration, making it difficult to avoid administrative penalties.
According to Field News on January 27, the entertainment agency 808 HI Recordings, where Lee Hi serves as CEO, only completed its registration as a popular culture and arts planning business with the Mapo District Office on January 21. This came approximately five years and nine months after the corporation was first established in April 2020.
The company reportedly began under the name Lee Hi Co., Ltd. at the time of its founding and has changed its corporate name three times over the past several months. Corporate registry records show that Lee Hi is listed as CEO, while her older sister, identified as Ms. Lee, serves as an internal director, indicating a family-run company structure.
Under the current Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, businesses engaged in entertainment management must register with local governments. Operating without registration can result in up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million KRW (about 13,804 USD). To address widespread issues of unregistered operators in the industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism set a voluntary registration guidance period that ended last year. However, Lee Hi’s side reportedly completed the registration process about three weeks after this deadline had passed.
In response, Lee Hi’s agency duover stated, “Because Lee Hi had been active under an exclusive contract with our company, we were not aware that her personal corporation separately required registration as a popular culture and arts planning business.” The agency added, “This occurred due to the ignorance and oversight of both the company and the artist. We apologize for causing concern and will more thoroughly review relevant laws and procedures going forward.”
As the Ministry has announced strict measures against unregistered businesses following the end of the grace period, attention is now focused on the actions authorities may take against the corporation that operated outside the legal framework for more than 5 years.
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