Advertisement
Park Seo Joon has partially won a lawsuit against a restaurant that used his image without permission, securing 5 million KRW (around 3,700 USD) in damages. The case highlights ongoing concerns about portrait rights and unauthorized endorsements involving celebrities.
The legal dispute began when the restaurant capitalized on a scene from Park Seo Joon’s 2018 hit drama What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, which was filmed at their location. In the scene, the actor is shown eating ganjang gejang (soy sauce-marinated crab), a dish the restaurant serves. Following this, from 2019 to 2023, the owner used Park Seo Joon’s image in banners both inside and outside the restaurant and also ran search ads on Naver featuring his name, all without his consent.
Park Seo Joon’s agency, Awesome ENT, argued that this unauthorized use caused a significant financial loss, estimating missed advertisement revenue at 1 billion KRW annually (approx. 736,000 USD). Despite repeated takedown requests since 2019, the restaurant continued using the images, which prompted a formal lawsuit demanding 6 billion KRW in compensation.
While the court acknowledged that Park’s portrait rights were violated, it awarded him only 5 million KRW, a much smaller amount than requested. The ruling, though in his favor, was met with criticism and mockery online, leading the agency to issue a statement condemning the malicious responses.
This case underscores the legal boundaries of using celebrity images, even in locations connected to their work. It also serves as a warning to businesses leveraging K-drama fame without proper agreements.