Kang Daniel Discusses The Toll Of Discovering Fraud In His Own Company In New Candid Interview
Singer Kang Daniel shared his thoughts on resuming his activities after being a victim of fraud amounting to 1.7 billion won [$1,273,999].
Recently, Kang Daniel held an interview at the Shinhan Card Artium in Gangnam, Seoul, to commemorate the release of his fifth mini-album ‘ACT’.
This album is Kang Daniel’s first new release in one year and three months since his fourth mini-album ‘REALIEZ’, which was released in June last year. It is also the first work released under his new agency, ARA, and comes right after the fifth anniversary of his solo debut.
Facing the press after a long time, Kang Daniel expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am really thankful to be able to stand on stage again. While preparing for this album, I tried a lot of different things, and I even tried a title song that would be easy for the public to approach. In the past, I felt like I wasn’t capable enough to convey all the stories I wanted to tell, but now I wanted to try expressing them.”
Kang Daniel founded his own entertainment agency, KONNECT Entertainment, in 2019 and continued his activities. However, he uncovered illegal activities by the majority shareholder of KONNECT Entertainment, which led to a painful year for him. In May of this year, he filed criminal charges against the shareholder for forgery, embezzlement, breach of trust, and fraud.
Through his legal representative, Kang Daniel explained, “In December 2022, the plaintiff discovered that a prepayment distribution contract worth 10 billion won had been signed without their knowledge by forging the CEO’s signature. The plaintiff only became aware of this in January 2023. The contract was signed without the artist’s consent, and despite repeated inquiries about the contract’s procedures and main content, no response was received. The plaintiff had to personally verify the facts by obtaining the bank transaction history.”
When asked about the incident, Kang Daniel said, “I felt devastated, and it felt like the five years I had spent had disappeared into thin air. I thought I had achieved so much, but it felt like everything was taken away in an instant. If you ask me how I endured it, I would say that music became my closest friend. That’s how I prepared for this album. I stayed home for three months without going outside. It was my personal record.”
Regarding the fraud case, Kang Daniel said, “The police investigation is still ongoing, and it’s in the current progress stage. I think I’ve learned how to tie things up emotionally. It was unsettling, and because it ended with a full stop, I still get angry when I think about it, but I don’t dwell on those feelings anymore. I’ve learned how to wrap things up.”
He also said, “Honestly, I wanted to step down from the position of CEO for a while. It was a burden. I think leadership differs depending on the field, whether it’s a company, society, or club. Being a leader in a company, which is a business entity, requires a lot of research, and that was tough. Now that I’ve stepped down, I feel much more relieved.”
Despite the painful experiences, Kang Daniel returned after finishing his new album relatively quickly. “I didn’t want to make fans wait any longer, and I liked the songs. During the forced break, the thing I thought about the most was, ‘The things I used to do weren’t a given,’ and I felt more gratitude for the fans who like me and the producers who chose to work with me, even though they had no reason to. It made me feel more thankful.”
As for his satisfaction with the album, Kang Daniel rated it 9 out of 10, saying, “There were things I missed due to the tight preparation period.”
Source: A
