Actor Park Seo-joon has won a partial legal victory against a restaurant that used his image without permission in promotional materials referencing a hit 2018 drama.
The Seoul Eastern District Court ruled in favor of Park, ordering the restaurant owner to pay 5 million KRW (approximately $3,700 USD) for unauthorized commercial use of the actor's likeness.
The dispute arose after the restaurant posted banners advertising itself as the place where Park's character from What's Wrong with Secretary Kim "devoured ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab), based on a scene from the drama filmed at the location.
While Park's legal team initially claimed damages of 6 billion KRW—based on advertising market rates over a six-year span—the court determined that the figure was excessive, given the restaurant's small business scale.
"The agency had repeatedly requested since 2019 that the restaurant stop using his image," Park's agency, Awesome ENT, said in a statement to Newsen.
"However, the owner would temporarily take down the banners and ads, only to repost them later. Eventually, they stopped responding altogether, continuing these malicious actions, which led us to pursue legal measures."
Park had also filed for an injunction to prevent further use of his image, but the court dismissed that request, noting that the materials had already been removed.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged that using a celebrity's name or face for commercial promotion without consent constitutes a violation of portrait rights, despite the restaurant owner's claim that it was a common industry practice.
Awesome ENT clarified that the official damages claim had been adjusted to 60 million KRW, taking the restaurant's size into account.
"We're also aware of ongoing malicious ridicule and secondary attacks following the court's reasonable ruling," the agency added. "There will be no leniency or settlement regarding further violations of our artist's portrait and personality rights. We will respond firmly."
Neither party has filed an appeal, making the ruling final.
Park Seo-joon, known for roles in Itaewon Class, Fight for My Way, and Dream, continues to enjoy both domestic and international popularity.
His portrayal in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim remains one of his most iconic roles to date.
