S. Korean pop star settles lawsuit in U.S.

SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean pop singer Rain and a U.S.-based
entertainment firm agreed to settle a lawsuit over the singer's canceled concert
in Honolulu two years ago, reports said Wednesday.

In March, a Honolulu federal jury had found Rain and his agency guilty of
breaching a contract with Click Entertainment Inc. for the 2007 concert and
ordered them to pay the Hawaiian promoter some US$8 million in punitive charges
and compensation.
After three months of legal dispute, Rain and Click Entertainment settled the
case in less than two hours at a Hawaiian court on June 10, reports said. Details
of the agreement on compensation and other conditions were not disclosed due to
court orders.
Rain's concert was canceled a few days before the scheduled date of June 15 in
2007 at Aloha Stadium, the first stop on his U.S. tour. The tickets were sold for
a maximum $300 each.
While Click Entertainment claimed it lost more than $1.5 million from the
cancellation and suffered damages to its business reputation, Rain accused his
Hawaiian promoter of shoddy preparation, claiming the concert stage was not
properly set up.
The lawsuit had dealt a heavy blow to future activities in the United States for
Rain, who gained some fame in Hollywood since appearing on Comedy Central's "The
Colbert Report."
The 26-year-old singer and actor, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, is one of the
most popular male celebrities in Korea and is also widely known across Asia. He
will star in the upcoming Hollywood movie "Ninja Assassin" and plans an Asian
concert tour later this year.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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