[All] Im Hyung-joo distances himself from controversy over unpaid construction fees… Subcontractor says “Regrettable distortion of facts, must present repayment plan” [Official]

[Ilgan Sports Reporter Yoo Ji-hee] Subcontractors have refuted the statement made by popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo’s side regarding the conflict between the prime contractor and subcontractors over the non-payment of construction fees for the Seoul Popera House.

All subcontractors for the Seoul Popera House construction project stated in an official statement on the 3rd, “Regarding the official statement released by Lim Hyung-joo’s agency, DigiEnCom, on March 5, the subcontractors who performed the construction work but did not receive payment express deep regret over the distortion of the facts.”

They continued, “It is an undeniable fact confirmed by the court that Embla Bird, where Mr. Im Hyung-joo serves as an executive director, has failed to pay the prime contractor (Woongjin Industrial Development) over 800 million won in construction fees.” They added, “Nevertheless, Mr. Im Hyung-joo’s side is distorting the facts by claiming that there are no outstanding payments from Embla Bird and that it is ‘a problem for the prime contractor (Woongjin Industrial Development) to resolve,’ while making false claims that ‘the full amount has been paid.’”

They continued by pointing out, “Mr. Im Hyung-joo and his sibling are the de facto operators and responsible parties of the building in question,” adding, “The building is owned by the corporation Embla Bird, which acts as both the trustee and beneficiary, and was completed with unpaid construction costs. Mr. Im Hyung-joo publicly declared on broadcast that he built the building himself and is currently residing there. It is a contradiction to promote corporate assets as if they were his personal property while claiming to have no legal liability solely for the debt (construction costs) incurred in building the building.”

They added, “For the past three years, they have consistently remained a bystander with no will to resolve the issue,” stating, “Subcontractors have made multifaceted efforts to resolve the payment over the past three years, but MBLABRIED has not presented any repayment plan. Even after the agency’s statement that they ‘have the will to resolve the issue,’ there has not been a single word of dialogue to date. While the companies were facing bankruptcy and struggling to make ends meet due to unpaid payments, Mr. Lim Hyung-joo’s side moved into the building without any consultation and exposed their luxurious lifestyle on broadcast. Mentioning ‘legal action’ only after media coverage began, following three years of silence, is an intimidating attitude toward small-scale subcontractors.”

Furthermore, they stated, “The claim to sell for 15.2 billion won is nothing more than a ‘delaying tactic’ that lacks significant realism,” adding, “Although Embalabird claims to have put the building up for sale at 15.2 billion won to resolve the dispute, this is an amount that is realistically impossible to transact given the current real estate market conditions. This appears to be an intention to delay debt fulfillment by setting an unrealistic price, rather than an intention to repay the debt through an actual sale. If there is sincerity, they should present an immediate repayment plan in accordance with the court judgment, rather than a sale plan with no end in sight.”

"Furthermore, they stated, 'Mr. Im Hyung-joo's side has expressed the position that they may pay the amount by selling the building. However, we emphasize once again that the payment of the subcontracting fees in this case is not being made out of goodwill by Mr. Im Hyung-joo's side, but rather a result of the failure to pay construction costs that should have naturally been paid.' They added, 'Faced with the debtor's attitude of having no intention of repaying the debt even after the court's ruling, the only last resort available to the subcontractors was a one-person protest. To denounce this legitimate exercise of rights as 'intentional defamation' or 'malicious reporting' is an act that obscures the essence of the matter. If you truly take your 'duties as a public figure' seriously, as stated in your official statement, we ask that you present a prompt solution so that the payments to the hardworking laborers can be made immediately.'"

Previously, controversy arose following reports that MBLABRIED, where Lim Hyung-joo and his younger brother serve as executive directors, had failed to pay subcontractors a total of 816.55 million won for the construction of the Seoul Popera House. The building garnered extraordinary attention as it had been extensively featured on a broadcast in which Lim Hyung-joo appeared.

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