Company sues dead South Korean actress for being beaten - and wins

Models who failed to maintain appropriate dignity as representatives of the products they represent should compensate for the damages caused to their advertiser, the top court ruled.

The Supreme Court reversed the original ruling and ruled in favor of a construction company that filed a suit against the deceased actress Choi Jin-sil, who committed suicide last October.

The company, upon hiring the top actress as their representing model in March 2004, concluded a contract stating Choi's duties to pay back 500 million won ($399,361), should she depreciate the company's social reputation.

However, in August, Choi appeared on television and newspapers with her face full of bruises, allegedly caused by the violence of her then husband and retired baseball player Cho Sung-min.

Choi and Cho, who had been living apart since 2002, divorced soon after the incident.

The advertiser company thus filed a suit against the actress, requesting for 3 billion won as compensation. The amount included the 500 million won in damages as stated in the contract, additional compensation of 400 million won and 210 million won in advertising costs spent by the company.

"The purpose of the brand model contract is to use the model's social reputation and images to draw the customers' interest," said the Supreme Court in the ruling. "The model's failure to maintain an adequate image constitutes a breach of the hiring contract."

The concept of the apartment Choi was supposed to advertise was dignity and happiness, and Choi, as its model, was under the obligation to act accordingly, said the court.

A lower court said in an earlier ruling that Choi could not be held responsible for depreciating the image of the apartment or the company as she had not been proven guilty of causing her former husband's violence.

Choi's mother presented herself at court, as legal representative of her two children who succeeded their mother's duties and became defendants of the case.

The estimated value of Choi's estate is about 5 billion won, including real estate and bank savings, according to her family.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/06/05/200906050055.asp ◦

Company sues dead South Korean actress for being beaten - and wins

South Korean women fighting back

On March 25, a 31-year-old woman, only identified by the surname Lee, was tending a convenience store in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, at around 3 a.m.
A 30-something man, who had just left the store after buying beer, came back and tried to assault her. Lee quickly used her tear gas spray on him, and the perpetrator ran away.

Earlier this month, police arrested a 37-year-old man named Gwak on charges of attempted assault after analyzing footage from the store's surveillance camera.

Lee's successful self-defense may seem an isolated case, but there is a growing demand for self-defense products and CCTVs in the market - especially following a series of random crimes against women.

Korea has been considered a relatively safe place to live. But after serial killer Kang Ho-soon admitted to murdering at least eight women, more women say they feel uneasy about being out at night.

In an online survey of 889 university students in March regarding the Kang Ho-soon case, some 260 female respondents, or of the women surveyed, said they try to go home early, the online job portal Albamon said.

About 20 percent of women said they grew more interested in self-defense. Nearly 94 percent of total participants said since the serial killing incident, they have felt scared upon encountering someone at night.

The sale of self-defense products from January to March soared 80 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the country's major internet shopping website Interpark.

In the period leading up to March 14, which Koreans celebrate as "White Day" by giving their loved ones candy and presents, gift sets containing self-defense items were popular on online shopping sites.

Internet retailer Auction said it has sold some 4,500 gift sets in one week in early March. Similarly, Gmarket said the sale of self-defense products in early March tripled compared to the same period last year.

Interpark said the best-sellers are gas sprays in lipstick cases, accounting for about 70 percent of their total sales, as they are discreet and easy to carry. Other popular products include whistles and pepper sprays that do not require permission.

A manufacturer of self-defense items said its sales doubled shortly after the Kang Ho-soon case made the news, but has steadily decreased recently.

The widespread anxiety has also led mobile phone manufacturers to unveil products designed to sound an alarm when activated by the user.

In late March, Samsung Electronics unveiled the Anycall SPH-W7100 phone with a loud, 100-decibel alarm which can be activated by pulling a ring connected to the top of the handset in case of emergency. This "Bodyguard Phone" also has a GPS function to transmit the location of the user in case the alarm is de-activated forcibly and sends SOS messages to the user's parents.

Samsung's Haptic Pop SCH-W750 phone also provides safety features, such as easy SOS button options to set off a fake incoming call ring-tone and an alarm.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/04/17/200904170046.asp ◦

South Korean women fighting back

President Lee Myung-bak to expand redesign of Seoul center

A presidential architectural commission yesterday unveiled new plans to redesign downtown Seoul with a variety of cultural charms, green landscape and historic monuments.

The committee also outlined its visions of environmentally-friendly residential towns across the country and adorning the surroundings of the four major rivers - to be restored this year - with parks, convenient facilities and upscale homes.

The Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy reported the plans to President Lee Myung-bak during its first general meeting at Cheong Wa Dae.

The panel, launched in December, is formulating a master plan to build a landmark space symbolic of the nation's history, culture and future at the heart of Seoul.

Last year, the government began revamping the central Gwanghwamun street into a public plaza and a new showcase of Korean arts and culture. The construction will be complete in June.
The commission yesterday proposed extending the project to cover a nearly 7-kilometer stretch leading to a park in the Han River.

Main spots include Gyeongbok Palace, Cheonggye Stream, City Hall, Sungryemun, Seoul Station and Nodeul Island in the Han River.

The street will be complete with public squares, a new national history museum, a national modern art museum, a new large performing arts center and other cultural facilities.

The streets will have more green space and easier access to other cultural heritage and tourist spots, the commission said.

Detailed plans and a time table will be further discussed later, they said.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/03/31/200903310040.asp
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President Lee Myung-bak to expand redesign of Seoul center