Why Park Seo Joon Sued a Restaurant That Appeared in "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim"

Actor Park Seo Joon has won a legal battle against a restaurant that used his image without permission to promote its business, years after it served as a filming location for one of his most iconic K-dramas.

The dispute traces back to the 2018 tvN hit What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, where Seo Joon’s character, Lee Young-jun, is seen enjoying ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) in a scene meant to charm the family of his on-screen girlfriend, Kim Mi-so (Park Min Young). According to The Korea Times, the restaurant that provided the shoot location later used a still from that scene—along with advertising slogans—on banners and online ads, promoting itself as the very place Park Seo Joon dined.

Seo Joon’s agency, Awesome ENT, revealed that it had repeatedly requested the restaurant to stop using the actor’s image since 2019. While the business occasionally removed the materials, it soon resumed using them. “They would delete the portal site search advertisements and put away the banner, but they would just put them back up and not respond to the requests to stop,” the agency said, as reported by Soompi, adding that the ongoing use eventually led to legal action.

Though earlier reports claimed Seo Joon was seeking 6 billion won (approximately $4.4 million USD or P248 million) in damages, Awesome ENT clarified that this was a projected loss based on a typical annual endorsement fee of 1 billion won multiplied over six years. The actual claim filed in court was 60 million won (around $44,200 USD or P2.4 million), taking into account the restaurant’s small scale.

The judgment was finalized without appeal from either party. However, Awesome ENT said it has since confirmed ongoing “malicious mockery and slander” from the defendant in response to the court decision. “We will respond firmly to any infringement on our artist’s image rights and personal rights without leniency or settlement,” the agency said in a statement, as reported by The Korea Times.

The restaurant owner reportedly defended the use of the image as standard promotional practice for businesses that support drama productions, but the court did not accept the justification.