Broadcaster Park Soo-hong (55) has been sued for intimidation by the CEO of a food company with whom he has been in a legal dispute for about two years.
According to police and other sources on the 29th, on the 14th, CEO A of the food company filed a complaint with the Gangnam Police Station, claiming that he was threatened by Park Soo-hong's side.
Previously, Park Soo-hong's agency filed a lawsuit against A's company in September 2023, claiming that they used Park Soo-hong's face in advertisements without permission, seeking about 500 million won in damages, which is currently under review at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court.
A's side claims that "Park Soo-hong and I are in a partnership" and that the problematic lawsuit is an attempt to gain more profit than the original agreement by demanding "5-10% of the total sales."
A's side stated that this lawsuit is related to events that occurred during the ongoing litigation.
According to the complaint, lawyer B, who represented Park Soo-hong's legal interests, told A in June 2023, just before the lawsuit was filed, "I am sorry and I have committed a grave sin, please beg," and "It seems that it should be at the level of kneeling and saying 'please spare me'."
A's side claims in the complaint that "when we did not accept Park Soo-hong's demands, we were pressured by the status and influence of a famous celebrity and lawyer," and "B threatened that he would lead the company to bankruptcy and that even the sales representatives dealing with me would suffer."
However, A claims that B's actions were "directed by Park Soo-hong," and thus sued Park Soo-hong instead of B.
B responded to A's claims through Yonhap News, stating, "A is a relative of a powerful figure from the previous government," and questioned, "Does it make sense to say I am being threatened?"
He further claimed, "For over a year, they sold products using Park Soo-hong's face without a contract, so I told them to stop using it if they weren't going to pay."
The police plan to summon both parties soon to ascertain the facts of the case.
