Park Seo-joon wins lawsuit against restaurant over unauthorized use of image
Actor Park Seo-joon / Courtesy of Awesome ENT
Actor Park Seo-joon has won a lawsuit against a restaurant owner who repeatedly used a scene from one of his dramas without permission to promote the business.
“Since 2019, we have made multiple requests to stop the unauthorized use of Park’s image. Despite taking down banners and online ads at times, the restaurant resumed using them, ignored further requests and continued malicious behavior, prompting us to file a lawsuit," an official from his agency, Awesome ENT, said Thursday.
The agency said the official claim for damages in the lawsuit amounts to 60 million won ($43,500), taking into account the scale of the restaurant’s business.
“We’ve also confirmed that the defendant is engaging in secondary harm, including malicious mockery and slander of the court ruling,” the spokesperson added. “We will respond firmly to any infringement on our artist’s image rights and personal rights without leniency or settlement.”
The case stems from a scene in the 2018 tvN drama “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim,” in which Park’s character is shown eating soy-marinated crab. The restaurant owner who provided the filming location later used an image of that scene, with added advertising text, on banners to promote the establishment.
Park’s side filed a lawsuit, initially citing damages of 6 billion won, though the court ultimately awarded compensation of 5 million won. "The 6 billion won figure was an estimated damage projection, but the actual legal claim filed was 60 million won," Awesome ENT said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.