Sechs Kies Dinner Show Canceled, Lee Jae-jin Faces Defamation Complaint: Timeline

TL;DR: A year-end Sechs Kies dinner show planned for Dec 15–16, 2026, at INSPIRE in Incheon was canceled after member Lee Jae-jin said on Nov 10 that he would not attend. He alleged that organizers had taken ticket payments into a personal bank account and that some refunds had not been paid, and he said no final contract had been signed. On Nov 11, the organizer, Mountain Movement Story, said its CEO had filed a defamation complaint against Lee over a social media post that named the CEO and described payment and refund details. The company says the account given to fans was a company account, not a personal one, and that the complaint is not a dispute among Sechs Kies members. Ticket-sale and refund claims remain allegations; the facts will be determined through investigation.

Timeline

Date (KST)	Event
Nov 5–7, 2026	According to the organizer (reported after Nov 10): Lee first said on Nov 5 he would not appear, later expressed willingness to take part, prompting the release of a Ko Ji-yong interview on Nov 6, then again notified on Nov 7 that he would not participate. This sequence has not been independently confirmed.
Nov 10, 2026	Lee posts that he will not attend. He says discussions did not lead to a signed final contract; that fans reported individual contacts and payments into a personal account; and that he had repeatedly confirmed unpaid refunds. He says he asked for outstanding refunds and official ticketing, and is sitting out because those concerns were not addressed. He named the organizer's head in the post. The same day, Jang Su-won's side posted a cancellation notice on the official J-Walk fan café, which also told existing ticket holders to contact the organizers about refunds.
Nov 11, 2026	Mountain Movement Story says its CEO, identified in coverage only as A, filed a defamation complaint. The company disputes the personal-account claim, says it will check company account and card records and deal directly with people who paid, and asks that the matter not be read as a fight among members or a legal battle over the group's activities.

What was planned

Mountain Movement Story, which Sports Chosun and Edaily identify as Ko Ji-yong's agency, had announced a dinner show featuring Ko Ji-yong, Jang Su-won, and Lee Jae-jin on December 15 and 16, 2026, at INSPIRE in Incheon. MoneyToday locates the venue in Yeongjongdo. English coverage splits on the exact hall: MoneyToday and Sports Chosun describe Inspire Arena; MK and Edaily describe the INSPIRE Tower Ballroom. We are not treating either hall name as settled.

English titles also vary slightly ("The Tree in Inspire – Sechs Kies' Untold Story" and close variants). Organizers, per Sports Chosun, stressed that this was not an official Sechs Kies reunion concert, though it was billed under the group's name. Sports Chosun reported prior controversy, including an opposition statement from a fan alliance, over a former member appearing in an event using the Sechs Kies name. The group debuted in 1997 and is approaching its 30th anniversary in 2027; the four members other than Ko reunited in 2016.

Lee Jae-jin's Nov 10 post

Coverage of Lee's social media statement is consistent on the main points. MoneyToday quoted him saying he learned through tips from fans that organizers "had been contacting fans individually and receiving payments into a personal bank account" and that he "confirmed several times that fans who requested refunds had yet to receive their money." Edaily and Sports Chosun similarly report that he asked for prompt refunds and for ticket sales through an official ticketing platform, and that he decided not to appear after those concerns were not addressed. Sports Chosun and MK report that he said it was true he had discussed appearing, but that he did not sign a final contract. MoneyToday also reported his claim that organizers continued to promote the show as if his participation had been confirmed after he had already said he would not appear.

Those are Lee's allegations, not findings.

The organizer's response and the complaint

Mountain Movement Story's response, as reported by MoneyToday, MK, and Edaily on Nov 11:

• The bank account provided to fans was an official company account, not the CEO's personal account.
• The company said it is checking company bank-account and card-payment records, plus actual refund requests and their status, and will handle the matter directly with the people who made the payments.
• On the appearance dispute, it said Lee first informed it on Nov 5 that he would not participate, later expressed an intention to join — which led it to believe his appearance was confirmed — and, in the Sports Chosun account, notified again on Nov 7 that he would not take part.
• Edaily reported that, in an earlier statement responding to Lee's claims, the company said it would review measures regarding content it considered inconsistent with the facts or damaging to the company or other parties, or that placed unfounded responsibility on Ko Ji-yong and Jang Su-won.

On Nov 11 the company said its CEO had filed a complaint over a public social media post that named a specific individual and described how that person received payments and the status of refunds. MoneyToday quoted the company: "This complaint has nothing to do with Sechs Kies members or the group's activities. Nor is it a complaint against Mountain Movement Story or the event itself." Edaily reported that the company said the complaint had been forwarded to the relevant authorities, and that "the specific facts and legal determinations will be confirmed through proper investigative procedures."

Korean coverage often uses "sued." The underlying action described is a defamation complaint referred for investigation, not a court judgment. We are not treating any allegation as proven.

Cancellation and refunds

After Lee's Nov 10 withdrawal, the event was canceled. Sports Chosun and MK say Jang Su-won's side announced the cancellation through the official J-Walk fan café (J-Walk is the unit of Jang Su-won and Kim Jae-deok). Edaily says Mountain Movement Story and Jang Su-won's camp both announced the cancellation. MK reported that the café urged existing ticket holders to contact the organizers individually to check the refund process. As of the Nov 11–12 coverage we opened, we did not find a confirmed public tally of how many refunds have been completed.

What's confirmed vs still open

Confirmed in the coverage we opened	Still open / treated here as allegation
A Dec 15–16 dinner show at INSPIRE in Incheon, featuring Ko, Jang, and Lee, was planned and later canceled	Exact hall name (Arena vs Tower Ballroom)
Lee's Nov 10 non-attendance post, including contract, deposit, and refund claims	Whether payments went to a personal account
Organizer says the account was a company account and that it will handle refunds with payers	Whether, and how many, refunds remain unpaid
Organizer says its CEO filed a defamation complaint on Nov 11 over the named post	The legal outcome of that complaint
J-Walk café posted a cancellation notice and directed ticket holders to the organizers for refunds	An official Sechs Kies 30th-anniversary reunion plan

Sources

• MoneyToday, Nov 11, 2026: Sechs Kies dinner show canceled amid controversy as Lee Jae-jin sued for defamation by organizer's CEO
• MK, Nov 11, 2026: ‘Jekki Dinner Show Boycott’ Lee Jae-jin sued for defamation... Organizer says, “It’s not a dispute between members”
• Edaily, Nov 11, 2026: CEO of Sechki Dinner Show Organizer "Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Lee Jae-jin"
• Sports Chosun, Nov 12, 2026: Chaos sparked by Ko Ji-yong, who left SECHSKIES... Dinner show canceled, Lee Jae-jin is sued
• TopStarNews, Nov 11, 2026: Sechs Kies' Lee Jae-jin Sued Over Dinner Show Controversy

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