Psy mired in legal wrangling over ‘Gangnam’ building

“Gangnam Style” superstar Psy, who owns a building in Seoul’s affluent district of Gangnam, is embroiled in a legal battle with his tenant over a rental contract, it was belatedly reported on Monday. 

The 38-year-old rapper filed for an eviction suit last August against a tenant running a cafe in his building even after the contract expired. 

Local news media reported that Psy’s contractors got into a tussle with the tenant and the cafe’s staff members on Friday while trying to forcibly drag them out of the building.

One of the cafe employees was injured during the brawl and taken to a hospital, according to the reports. 

Psy’s legal representative, however, denied the reports, saying, “There was no physical confrontation or violence at the scene on March 13. We just executed the court order.”

The embattled cafe moved into the building in southern Seoul in 2010 and had renewed a contract with the previous building owner on a yearly basis.

The previous owner ordered the cafe to move out for building renovation, which led the cafe owner to file a suit. The court ruled against the cafe, saying it must leave the property by Dec. 31, 2013.

After Psy and his wife purchased the real estate in February 2012, the renovation plan was scrapped and the cafe owner continued his business in the building. 

Psy then filed for an injunction to evict the owner based on the earlier ruling last August, which was accepted by the court on Feb. 12. 

The strife further escalated with the court also accepting the request by the cafe owner for suspension of execution on March 6. 

Despite the suspension, people hired by the hip-hop artist stormed into the cafe on Friday to escort the tenant out of the building.
In light of latest development, Psy’s lawyer said, “The court order is already in place, so the court‘s decision to suspend the execution is no longer valid.”
The cafe’s owner, however, said, “We are baffled and surprised that Psy used force even before the first trial opens.” 

The trial for the eviction suit filed by Psy will begin next month. 

Psy rose to international stardom in 2012 with his global megahit “Gangnam Style,” which rewrote YouTube history by garnering 2 billion views on the global video streaming site on May 31, 2014.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)