Honey Lee and Spouse Sent to Prosecutors Without Detention, Agency Issues Statement

Honey Lee’s Hope Project Achieves Legal Registration Amid Controversy

On December 24, Team Hope, the agency representing Honey Lee, announced via Newsen that Hope Project has officially registered as a public entertainment management business. This registration complies with Article 26, Paragraph 1 of the Act on the Development of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry, and the certification was granted on October 28. The agency expressed its commitment to collaborate sincerely on all related procedures moving forward.

Honey Lee Hope Project unregistered agencywoman face smiling glitter hand.

This development comes on the heels of a legal referral on December 23, when the Gangnam Police Station submitted charges against Honey Lee and her husband, identified as Mr. A, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. They are under investigation for allegedly violating the Act on the Development of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry, without any detainment.

Honey Lee was the CEO and internal director of Hope Project, originally founded in 2015 as Ha-nee Co., Ltd. However, she stepped down from her CEO role in January 2023, with Mr. A assuming the leadership position while Honey Lee retained her status as an internal director.

It was recently disclosed that Hope Project operated for nearly a decade without the necessary registration to conduct its management activities legally. In response to these findings, Honey Lee’s representatives stated that the oversight regarding registration obligations stemmed from a lack of awareness. They emphasized that once this issue became apparent, they immediately sought legal counsel and took prompt action to comply with all relevant regulations in a timely manner.

According to current legislation, entertainment agencies that do not register as public entertainment management businesses may be subjected to severe penalties, including imprisonment for up to two years or substantial fines reaching 20 million won.