It was said to be his own home... Im Hyung-ju, Seoul Popera House, 800 million won unpaid controversy "Lies, anger" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Regarding the conflict over the unpaid construction costs for the Seoul Popera House built by popera singer Im Hyung-ju, the subcontractor side has refuted the claims once again.

Law firm Haeum, which is handling legal representation for the subcontractors, issued an official statement on the 30th, stating, "The construction costs for the building that Im Hyung-ju extensively promoted as his own mansion remain partially unpaid, and the subcontractors have not received their construction payments for nearly three years." They further emphasized, "After the subcontractors protested that Im Hyung-ju lied by claiming there was no unpaid construction debt, even citing court rulings, he has failed to provide any response. Instead, he is muddying the facts by accusing them of trying to tarnish his reputation."

Continuing, they argued, "Nevertheless, in his second statement, Im Hyung-ju lied by claiming he showed good faith by accepting double payment. The subcontracting fees for this case are not a matter of double payment but are funds that should naturally be paid. His remarks, as if he were offering money that did not need to be paid, are unacceptable."

Law firm Haeum also pointed out, "Im Hyung-ju's act of abusing corporate personality to evade such debts can be subject to criminal punishment under the Criminal Act, including the crime of evading compulsory execution. If Im Hyung-ju's claims were true, he would be residing in a building owned by Emblemberde Co., Ltd., a company that bears significant debts such as subcontracting fees. If he is residing there free of charge, this too could be subject to criminal punishment for breach of trust in the course of business."

Previously, the subcontractors stated, "It is an indisputable fact confirmed by the court that the 800th million won construction fee for Emblemberde, where Im Hyung-ju serves as an internal director, remains unpaid." They pointed out the contradiction that although the building was completed with unpaid construction fees, Im Hyung-ju appeared on broadcasts promoting it as a "house he built himself" while exposing his luxurious living situation.

Furthermore, regarding Im Hyung-ju's side's stance that they would sell the building for 15.2 billion won, the subcontractors refuted this by stating, "There has not even been a conversation for the past three years."

On the other hand, Im Hyung-ju's agency, Digencom, stated that the non-payment issue is unrelated to Im Hyung-ju. They explained, "The time when Emblemberde Co., Ltd. signed a contract with the general contractor and began construction was March 2022, before the Im siblings took office as internal directors. Therefore, the non-payment issue is a matter that the general contractor, who has already received the construction fees, must resolve with the subcontractors, and Im Hyung-ju bears no legal responsibility whatsoever."

1. The construction costs for the building that Mr. Im Hyung-ju extensively promoted as his own mansion remain partially unpaid, and the subcontractors have not received their construction payments for nearly three years.

In his first statement (hereinafter 'First Statement') on the 5th, 2026, Mr. Im Hyung-ju lied by claiming there was no unpaid construction debt. However, after the subcontractors protested, citing even court rulings, he issued a second statement (hereinafter 'Second Statement') on the 3rd, 2026, without providing any response to the matter. Instead, he has muddied the facts by claiming that the subcontractors are trying to tarnish Mr. Im Hyung-ju's reputation.

Let us state clearly once again: In a certain broadcast in January this year, Mr. Im Hyung-ju appeared with a famous celebrity and promoted the building as his own, stating, "This entire house is our home," "I built the house so I could practice without any restrictions," "There are many rooms. We have nine rooms," and "Humidifiers were embedded during the design phase." He extensively promoted that the building in question is his own, yet the construction costs remain partially unpaid to this day.

In his first statement, Mr. Im Hyung-ju falsely claimed that all construction costs had been paid and that the general contractor, Woongjin Industrial Development, had failed to pay the subcontractors. However, the general contractor, Woongjin Industrial Development, also did not receive the construction costs, so the subcontracting fees were not paid either. As the construction costs and subcontracting fees continued to be delayed, the subcontractors have been directly claiming the subcontracting fees by receiving an assignment of the construction costs from the general contractor, Woongjin Industrial Development. This process has been confirmed through court rulings such as payment orders by all subcontractors, yet Mr. Im Hyung-ju continues to falsely claim that all construction costs have been paid.

2. Anger over Mr. Im Hyung-ju's claims of 'double payment' and 'good faith'

As mentioned earlier, the construction costs for the building in question have remained partially unpaid for nearly three years, threatening the survival of small subcontractors.

Nevertheless, in his second statement, Mr. Im Hyung-ju lied again by claiming he showed 'good faith' by accepting 'double payment.' The subcontractors cannot help but be outraged by such lies.

Let me reiterate: The subcontracting fees for this case are not 'double payments' but are funds that 'should naturally be paid.' The subcontractors are extremely angry and shocked by his remarks, as if he were offering money that did not need to be paid.

3. Refutation of the claim that the non-payment of construction costs is the responsibility of the corporation (Emblemberde) and that Mr. Im Hyung-ju bears no responsibility

Mr. Im Hyung-ju extensively promoted the building in question as his own mansion, but when the non-payment of subcontracting fees became known, he made a contradictory claim that the responsibility for the construction costs lies with Emblemberde Co., Ltd. and that he has no relation to it.

However, as already revealed through the media, Mr. Im Hyung-ju designed a structure where the debt lies with Emblemberde Co., Ltd., while the profits are taken by himself at the same location, Seoul Popera House, where he serves as the representative (According to the corporate registration records, Mr. Im Hyung-ju resigned from both corporations on the 6th, 2026, after this issue became problematic. However, resigning on the 6th, 2026, does not erase the aforementioned debt evasion behavior that has occurred up to now. If, as Mr. Im Hyung-ju claims, he bears no responsibility whatsoever, there would be no reason for him to resign from both corporations).

Mr. Im Hyung-ju's act of abusing corporate personality to evade such debts can be subject to criminal punishment under the Criminal Act, including the crime of evading compulsory execution.

Furthermore, if Mr. Im Hyung-ju's claims were true, he would be residing in a building owned by Emblemberde Co., Ltd., a company that bears significant debts such as subcontracting fees. If he is residing there free of charge, this too could be subject to criminal punishment for breach of trust in the course of business.

4. Refutation of the claim that the subcontractors' one-person protests are illegal

Despite having received court rulings, the subcontractors have not received their subcontracting fees and are continuing their one-person protests in front of the building in question, Seoul Popera House.

However, Mr. Im Hyung-ju has distributed a statement claiming that such one-person protests are illegal and is issuing a stern warning to the subcontractors that he will take strong legal action.

However, one-person protests are a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, and there is no illegality in the one-person protests related to this case. We clearly state this, and we request that Mr. Im Hyung-ju cease his act of intimidating the subcontractors with false claims.

5. Request for an official apology and prompt resolution measures

Subcontracting fees for construction projects are a matter of survival for subcontractors. The unpaid subcontracting fees for each company in this case are not relatively large amounts.

Nevertheless, Mr. Im Hyung-ju's behavior so far has been contradictory: he has boasted of his financial power to the media by claiming the building in question is his own, while lying that all construction costs have been paid, and repeating the contradictory action of claiming that the subcontracting fees are merely the debt of the corporation in form and therefore he has no relation to them.

Therefore, we request that Mr. Im Hyung-ju promptly propose a solution for the subcontracting fees in this case and issue an official apology for suppressing the subcontractors with false facts.

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*This content was translated by AI.