South Korean pop star Rain took the stand in his civil trial in federal court yesterday and said he didn't know exactly why his 2007 concert at Aloha Stadium was canceled.

But even before Rain entered the building to testify in his civil trial for allegedly defrauding a local promoter, his legal troubles already seemed to be mounting.

As he walked briskly up courthouse steps flanked by two bodyguards, a process server handed him papers from Andrew Kim, a Los Angeles-based promoter, who is also suing Rain over a canceled concert from the same world tour as the Hawai'i concert.

The entertainer refused to accept the papers and let them fall to the ground.

FANS IN COURTROOM

The Honolulu lawsuit was filed by Seung Su Lee, president of Honolulu-based Click Entertainment Inc. Lee is suing Rain and his former agency, Seoul-based JYP Entertainment Co., for breach of contract and fraud for Rain's cancellation of a 2007 concert at Aloha Stadium without explanation one week before the scheduled event.

Lee claims the last-minute cancellation cost him $1.2 million and damaged his business reputation. He also said Rain and his traveling entourage of 90 people never intended to perform in Hawai'i, saying the crew never applied for proper visas.

Before addressing any of those allegations, Rain spoke a few words in English before the courtroom packed with about four dozen Rain fans, almost all of them women.

"I am Jung Ji-Hoon, and I perform as Rain," he said. "Aloha."

Rain testified that he had been looking forward to performing in Hawai'i but his management team made the decision to cancel the show.

That essentially ended the pleasantries, as Eric Seitz, attorney for the plaintiff, zeroed in on exactly when Rain learned about the cancellation of the Hawai'i concert.

Pressed by Seitz, Rain testified that it was only after the fact that he was told the show was canceled because of safety and security problems with the venue. But he repeatedly denied being part of the decision, and said he was unfamiliar with the details of why it was reached.

"My part is on the stage performance," Rain said through an interpreter. "Everything else is arranged by the management team."

Seitz pointed out contradictions between Rain's February 2008 deposition and his testimony yesterday regarding the contract between him, JYP and promoter StarM. Rain indicated that it was because he signs numerous contracts and doesn't remember the details of each one, although he reads them all before he signs.

"I have so many contracts that people analyze the contracts for me," he said.

Still, Rain acknowledged that his signature appears on the contract between him, JYP and StarM.

"And you approved of the Hawai'i contract, didn't you?" Seitz asked.

"Oh, yes," Rain answered. "Because I really wanted to perform in Hawai'i."

WAITING FOR RAIN

Seitz asked Rain if he was aware that Lee had continued promoting the Hawai'i concert until a week before that event. Rain reiterated that his focus was performing, and that the promotion and staging of the events was left to his management team. He said the first time he'd ever laid eyes on Lee was at yesterday's court appearance.

Seitz also brought up the subject of Andrew Kim's lawsuit and Rain's refusal to accept the process server's papers.

"Weren't you given those papers in Hawai'i?" he asked.

Rain seemed unsure of the question, and gave a vague response.

"Is it your testimony that you didn't just throw those documents on the ground?" Seitz shot back.

Rain then said he didn't think he had to take the papers.

Following his testimony, Rain left the courtroom through a side door. Then, for more than an hour, fans and the press corps gathered outside the courthouse waiting for the star to leave the building. Rain, it turned out, was watching the scene below from a witness room on the fourth floor.

Waiting patiently with the spectators on the ground was yet another process server. This one was holding lawsuit papers for Rain from Kleege Industries, promoters of the abruptly canceled Rain concert in San Diego.

One of Rain's lawyers finally accepted those papers on Rain's behalf around 4 p.m., shortly before Rain left the building.