Han Ye-seul Wins Partial Victory in Advertising Fee Lawsuit

Actress Han Ye-seul has achieved a partial victory in her lawsuit against health food brand Next Player regarding unpaid advertising fees. On May 21, the Seoul High Court's Civil Division 37-3 ruled that Next Player must pay Han's agency, High Entertainment, 660 million KRW, affirming the first trial's decision.

In April 2022, Han Ye-seul and her agency signed a contract with Next Player to serve as the advertising model for their health food brand, committing to a total of 22 appearances, including four video shoots and four print shoots. The agreed model fee was set at 1.415 billion KRW, to be paid in two installments. The contract stipulated that if any advertisement featuring Han was used, the full model fee would be payable.

However, Next Player only paid the first installment of 715 million KRW in May and June 2022, followed by a partial payment of 55 million KRW from the second installment in March 2023, totaling 770 million KRW.

In response, Han's agency filed a lawsuit for the unpaid second installment. Next Player countered that the agency had delayed video shoot schedules and failed to fulfill social media posting obligations, claiming this justified their intention to terminate the contract and avoid paying the second installment.

The first trial concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support Next Player's claims of non-cooperation from Han's agency, deeming their contract termination attempt invalid. The court noted that the agency's request for a change in concept due to scheduling conflicts and Han's COVID-19 illness could not be attributed to the agency's fault.

The court also stated that since advertisements featuring Han had been used, the lack of additional shoots was likely due to the non-payment of the second installment, affirming that Next Player was obligated to pay it.

Next Player appealed the first trial's ruling, but the appellate court upheld the original decision.

In other news, Han Ye-seul registered her marriage with her 10-year younger partner, actor Ryu Seong-jae, in May of last year. She has since been sharing glimpses of her daily life through social media and YouTube.