[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Soccer player Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who is currently involved in a legal dispute with his former agency, has effectively won the first trial.
According to the court on the 6th, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 17 (Presiding Judge Kim Seong-won) recently ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff in the first trial of the settlement claim lawsuit filed by ICM Stella Korea Co., Ltd. (formerly Sports United·ICM) against Son & Football Limited, operated by Son Heung-min's father, Son Woong-jung, on the 1st.
On December 7 last year, Son Heung-min, who returned from Qatar, greeted the fans who came to welcome him by raising his hand. / Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@
The court ruled that Son & Football Limited must pay ICM the advertising contract settlement amount of 247.67 million KRW but is not responsible for paying the damages of approximately 1.82 billion KRW demanded by ICM.
Previously, in November 2019, Son Heung-min notified Jang, the CEO of ICM, of contract termination, stating, "It seems there is no trust left." Jang had helped Son Heung-min study in Germany in 2008 and had represented his domestic activities for over ten years, but conflicts arose during the process of Jang selling the company in 2019.
Jang filed a lawsuit against Son & Football Limited, Son Heung-min's exclusive management company. He claimed that a valid exclusive agent contract existed between his company, Son Heung-min, and Son & Football Limited, and thus there was responsibility for unpaid advertising fees and damages due to unilateral contract termination.
Son Heung-min's side countered, "No contract was drafted. We did not agree to the corporate sale contract and have no authority to be involved."
The first trial ruled in favor of Son Heung-min, stating, "There is insufficient evidence to recognize that the exclusive agent contract in this case was genuinely established." This was based on handwriting analysis suggesting the possibility that someone else forged the signatures of Son Heung-min and Son Woong-jung.
The court ordered that only the unpaid advertising fees as of the contract termination date be paid by Son Heung-min's side and dismissed the remaining claims by Jang.
Although it can be considered that a "mixed contract including a mandate contract or a similar mandate contract" was concluded, under which ICM receives 10% of advertising fees as compensation for providing domestic and international living conveniences to Son Heung-min, the court judged that the contract termination was lawful because the trust between the two parties was broken during the process of Jang selling the company without consultation despite Son Heung-min's opposition.
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