On the 28th, photos were shared in a KakaoTalk open chat room by supporters of a certain candidate.
The camp of the candidate stated, “We have not created such images in our camp.”
Seo Hyun-jin’s agency stated, “We have not received any contact regarding those photos.”
As the fervor among supporters to promote their preferred candidate intensifies ahead of the upcoming presidential election on June 3, controversy has arisen over supporters crossing the line by using photos of celebrities for promotional purposes.
On the 28th, supporters of Han Dong-hoon, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, shared an image in a group chat room featuring a poster-style image of actress Seo Hyun-jin and Han Dong-hoon together. Although the two individuals did not take a photo together, the poster included a picture of Seo Hyun-jin smiling with the caption “I am happy to have a friend to be with today.”
It was confirmed that the image was an advertisement photo of Seo Hyun-jin taken in 2016.
Beneath the photo, there is an image of Han Dong-hoon walking with the caption “A New Republic of Korea.” The logo of the People Power Party is also included in the image.
Upon seeing the image, netizens commented negatively, saying, “I thought Seo Hyun-jin was supporting Han Dong-hoon,” “I thought actress Seo Hyun-jin suddenly made a political statement,” and “Someone tried to help Han Dong-hoon, but it’s not helpful behavior.”
One netizen remarked, “It seems like someone synthesized a photo of Seo Hyun-jin wearing red, which is the color of the People Power Party,” and said, “It doesn’t seem like it was made with that level of quality by the camp.”
The Han Dong-hoon campaign stated that they were unaware of the existence of the image.
A camp official stated, “The image was not created by the camp,” and added, “Supporters are supporting the candidate’s election campaign, and since it’s an anonymous group chat, the source cannot be traced.”
An official from Seo Hyun-jin’s agency, Sub Entertainment, stated, “We have not received any inquiries or contacts regarding the photo, nor have we granted permission for its use.”
Experts suggest that the synthesized image could be considered a violation of the actress’s portrait rights, as well as defamation and infringement of the ‘right to maintain identity’ in the poster. Furthermore, the prevailing opinion is that misguided fan sentiment from supporters could actually have a counterproductive effect on the candidate they support.
Huh Jong-seon, a lawyer at Hanbyeol Law Firm, stated, “Using Seo Hyun-jin’s photo without her consent not only violates her portrait rights but also could constitute defamation as it was publicly displayed as if she was supporting a specific political party’s candidate.”
He added, “There is also a possibility of infringing upon the intellectual property rights of the original creator who took Seo’s photo.”
