Singer and actor Park Yoochun has been ordered to pay 500 million won in damages in the second trial of the lawsuit filed by his former agency.
According to the legal community on the 27th, the 8-1 Civil Division of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Kim Tae-ho, Won Ik-sun, Choi Seung-won) ruled in favor of the management company Have Fun Together, which filed a damages claim against Park Yoochun and his former agency, L.Cielo, stating, "Park Yoochun and L.Cielo shall jointly pay 500 million won and delayed interest."
Park Yoochun's side claimed that the exclusive contract with the former agency was terminated, but the court did not accept this.
However, during the appeals process, L.Cielo's side raised a counterclaim stating, "Have Fun Together has some unpaid settlement amounts," which was partially accepted, leading the court to order Have Fun Together to calculate the unpaid settlement amounts by item and pay L.Cielo 470 million won.
Have Fun Together signed a contract in January 2020, granting them exclusive management rights over Park Yoochun until 2024.
However, in May of the following year, Park Yoochun demanded the termination of the exclusive contract with Have Fun Together, and after failing to negotiate, he sent an official document stating, "If the settlement amount is not paid, we can terminate the exclusive contract," along with L.Cielo.
Have Fun Together remained unresponsive, and after notifying the termination of the contract, Park Yoochun continued his entertainment activities through another management company, A, run by an acquaintance.
Ultimately, Have Fun Together filed for an injunction against Park Yoochun in August 2021 to prohibit him from appearing on broadcasts and engaging in entertainment activities, and the court granted this request.
Nevertheless, Park Yoochun violated the injunction and continued activities such as overseas performances and advertisements with Company A. In response, Have Fun Together filed a damages claim lawsuit worth 500 million won against Park Yoochun, L.Cielo, and Company A for infringing on their management rights.
In relation to this, the first trial court ruled on December 1, 2023, stating, "Park Yoochun violated the court's injunction by engaging in entertainment activities through Company A without the consent of Have Fun Together, and L.Cielo actively participated in this," ordering L.Cielo to jointly compensate Have Fun Together 500 million won.
Meanwhile, Park Yoochun was indicted in 2019 on charges of methamphetamine use and was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation. After reversing his declaration of retirement from the entertainment industry, he is currently active overseas, including in Japan.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
