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Park Seo Joon Sues Korean Restaurant for Unauthorized Image Use Stemming From Crab Eating Scene in K-drama Why Secretary Kim

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

I loved Why Secretary Kim but legit do not even remember this scene this is how random and minor it is. The drama starred Park Seo Joon as an uptight and controlled CEO with a very emotionally scarring backstory and aired to great popularity back in 2018. In the drama his character goes to a popular soy sauce raw crab restaurant and feasts in a scene meant to show him enjoying life more and more. The restaurant is a real place and after the popularity of the drama started using that scene to advertise, posting still screenshots and also showing the scene on repeat on TV. Park Seo Joon’s side explained that it asked the restaurant to stop doing it and the restaurant did stop but then resumed and the lawsuit is of last resort as the restaurant refuses to stop the unauthorized use of his image for marketing. Legally his position is correct but I do think in South Korea there could be sympathy for the small mom and pop restaurant doing this type of guerilla marketing as well.

Comments

Park Seo Joon Sues Korean Restaurant for Unauthorized Image Use Stemming From Crab Eating Scene in K-drama Why Secretary Kim — 21 Comments

  1. Legally he is correct but it actually looks petty. Like doesn’t he have anything else do to? Acting maybe?

    I really enjoy his work but this doesn’t leave a good feeling.

    • @silas, sim, imzardi

      Agree. In a way they are actually promoting his old drama. If it’s a big chain, then I can understand why PSJ made such a request. But for a small single restaurant, I am sure netizens would find it petty of him. Well, he is rich so he wouldn’t understand about small shop owners trying to make a living.

      • I feel for the small restaurant, but if PSJ lets them get away with it, what can he say when a larger chain or any other business uses his image unauthorized to make a profit. Some people use a celebrity’s image for fraudulent purposes. People have faith in their businesses because they believe the celebrity actually represents that brand. Those businesses will make profits off of a celebrity’s image and the celebrity sees none of it. They also could be selling a shody product or a product that can endanger the health or life of the consumer.

  2. how much money he have and make, yet he try to kill this small place
    he have to remember, the wheel is rolling and he may not be on top eternally
    the time when he down and have no money maybe then he remember how cruel he is
    pathetic actor

  3. At first I thought it was a random restaurant using his image. But the scene was actually filmed there? That really does seem petty.

  5. We can’t make a victim out of someone who was clearly in the wrong only because the other guy is rich. Actors work hard to build the value their name and image has, calling it petty for defending his hard earned value is petty. In this case, he seem to have quietly given them fair notice.

    • Calling him petty is nothing compared with the name-calling he would recive if he was a woman.😂

      I agree with your comment thought. User @Mia has a good point, similar to your POV.

  6. I hope his childish behavior helps people to see that he’s an overrated actor like Kim Nam Gil, Jang Hyuk, Ji Sung, Nam Goong Min. None of them are close to Kim Soo Hyun in terms of acting and looks, they’re lucky him is getting dragged because of evil media play created by anti fans.

    • This is one of the most blatantly obvious comments I’ve ever seen from a Kim Soo Hyun anti. Every single actor you’ve mentioned here – including KSH – are incredible actors regardless of their personal controversies. But you knew that. Very well in fact. Try harder next time without exposing your “intelligence” 😂

      • People can act uncivilized when it comes to East Asian entertainment in particular, clearly OP tried to start a fight using lame resources that remind me of Chinese forums lol. Since Kim Soo Hyun has been mentioned, woever takes the bait will bring out his controversies… But in fact I have come across comments (Reddit, MyDramaList, Dramabeans) stating that Kim Namgil is overrated. If even a talent like his is questioned, then no one is free of detractors lol. I am not familiar with the names of the other actors, except for Namgoong Min who I am watching for the first time in Awaken, he is doing a good job there!

    • LOL. THIS! The only thing I’ve found entertaining recently on this site.

      • Yep! Mentioning four of the most respected names in the industry all together has been comical.

  7. I get both sides of the coin. He’s well within his rights to sue and it sort of also makes sense if some find that petty. Personally, I find nothing wrong with what PSJ did. At the end of the day it’s his name, and he doesn’t want it associated with the resto. He warned them about it so they’ll need to face the consequences.

    Whatever. I don’t exactly care lol. I like actors for their acting, not what they choose to do in their free time. I’m more interested in his upcoming project. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him in a decent drama.

  8. As long as one gets into business, they all have to follow business rules. Regardless big or small. If urles are not followed, then everyone can take advantage of each other. There are still unfaireness going around thus the Court steps in. This shop had been paid their dues whilst filming. They used his image pioir, the agency did not sue from beginning but gave them a warning. But after awhile of listening, they revert to using his image again. His image is controlled by his agency, the agency gets a cut of his earning. Thus if his agency wants to stop this…just to prevent others following the same deed. They are not wrong at all. Charity is charity, business is business.

  9. I don’t think Park Seojun’s in the wrong when celebrities’ images and voices are being used without their consent more than ever, especially in current times with the rise of AI and deepfakes. Also small restaurants which have been featured in dramas don’t blatantly promote themselves by implementing the scenes in their promotions—they just mention the titles and they still have a steady flow of patrons.

  10. You don’t have to like PSJ to understand that he’s within his rights and the restaurant is the one that messed up even if suing a “litte guy” restaurant looks petty and is bad PR/optics.

    He filmed a drama scene there, it would be fine if the endorsement was just that but the restaurant doing aggressive marketing using his name as an endorsement and not the drama/his drama character’s, not fine. Especially after he already sent a warning to them back in 2019 and they took down the ad but then put it back up?

    Everyone’s calling him petty but I’m sure they’d be more understanding if the celebrity involved was someone more well liked like Jun Jihyun or IU or BTS, image rights are the same regardless of whether you like the celebrity or not.

  11. I was about to comment on this, but @Mia already said it perfectly—I completely agree with her. It’s well within PSJ’s rights to sue, especially since the restaurant wasn’t authorized to use his image to promote their food. Not everyone in this world is an angel, and using his face like that opens the door to all kinds of problems.

    For example, what if someone gets food poisoning after eating there? That’s a very real possibility, and it happens more often than people think. If that customer saw PSJ’s image promoting the restaurant, they might assume he endorsed it or even recommended it—and if they get sick, they could blame both the restaurant and PSJ. Even if he had nothing to do with it, people often react based on emotion, and this could seriously damage his reputation.

    If brand names can drop their artists over scandals and hearsay, then celebrities absolutely have the right to take legal action against unauthorized ads using their image.

  12. Idk why people are against PSJ here, is it because he looks like he punched down?

    1. It’s his character that eat there not him, so any way of form, he was never endorse the place, it was a filming place, they could’ve used the drama instead of PSN actual name.
    2. The Business owner was contracted by the drama Production and not PSJ agency, they have no right for PSJ personal branding
    3. He had asked them not to do it since it’s violation of his image, it’s not like he genuinely love the place and ate them regularly
    4. He has waited for 6 years and asked for 60 mil , minimum wage for 1 year is 25 mil, and this is a very successful business. They also can just remove all the banners, they already reaps the ads money anyway. They can even pay it with installment.

    Yes this doesn’t look good on him and I am not even his fans.
    It just absurd that people can just use the character inside a drama to represent and actual living person in real life.
    Also he has asked them and even lowered the amount. It’s not like he was once the ambassador of this place and the place never ask for his permission either. The good will is not just needed for his side, the Business Owner also needs to show a good will.

  13. “Small business” should also be clean business too. Acting like someone owes them anything just because they’re small and using people who will obviously fall into “omg, they’re just small businesses, you’re rich, don’t touch them” is actual definition of being petty and manipulative of masses and actor. Park Seo Jun did nothing wrong here. He has rights too. This business is not small either. And they moved their location a long time ago. They have nothing to do with PSJ or the drama anymore. They should start practicing fair business or face actual consequences. While people should first actually understand situation and acknowledge wrongdoing instead of just following “small business” real petty manipulations.

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