Seo Ye Ji‘s agency has been ordered by the court to return half of the endorsement fees she received to the brand advertiser.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on November 10th that “GOLDMEDALIST must return 225 million won ($172,092)” in a damages suit filed by Yuhan Care against Seo Ye Ji and her company. However, the court rejected the joint claim for damages and penalties against the actress and her company.
>> Seo Ye Ji Sued by Advertising Company for Damages She Caused with Her Scandal
In July 2020, Seo Ye Ji was selected as the new ambassador for Yuhan Care. However, she faced numerous allegations of gaslighting, school bullying, and falsifying her educational background in April 2021. In response, Yuhan Care officially sent a letter to Seo’s agency demanding the termination of their contract with her and the return of the endorsement fees. The actress was dropped from all brand endorsements immediately after the news hit the wires. Following this, the advertiser requested 1.275 billion won ($979,680) in penalties and damages.
In response, the court ruled that Seo and the agency did not breach the contract, stating, “The allegations of school violence and gaslighting surfaced before the contract period.” It was also found that the agency’s act of making an official statement to clarify the allegations was not against the contract terms and conditions either.
Concluding that the contract was duly terminated after Yuhan Care sent an official document to Seo, the court ordered her to pay 225 million won ($172,757), only half of the 450 million won ($345,514) of her endorsement fees, in accordance with the contract provisions.
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