Actress' Heirs to Compensate Advertiser for 'Disgrace'

A court has ruled that the heirs of the late actress Choi Jin-sil must compensate an advertiser since she failed to maintain her dignity as a model when pictures of her after a beating by her then-husband Cho Sung-min were publicized in media. A construction company sued Choi in 2004 for W3 billion (US$1=W1,250) for damages incurred and the modeling fee paid.

The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a ruling that cleared Choi of responsibility and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court.

The company paid Choi W250 million in March 2004 for modeling for apartment buildings. The contract included a clause that if Choi disgraced the image of the company by damaging her social and moral image through her own fault, she would repay the firm twice the modeling fee. Five months later, pictures of her beaten and of the inside of her house in a chaotic state were released.

Because Choi died in October 2008 when the case was under Supreme Court review, her status passed to her eight-year-old son and six-year-old daughter. Choi's mother is acting as legal guardian.

Source: www.chosun.com