"Girls' Generation's Sooyoung Exposed, Pulled Out 'Daepo Camera' During Acting"...Chaos During Play

Illegal Filming During the Play 'Wife' Performance
"Suddenly Dozens of Shots Taken... No One Stopped It"

Actress Choi Sooyoung, formerly of the girl group Girls' Generation, is facing controversy after being illegally filmed during a performance of the play 'Wife.' On the 7th, the production company of 'Wife' stated, "It happened in a blind spot, so we were unaware," and added, "We plan to increase internal staff and provide more foreign language notices as a result of this incident." They also emphasized, "We will respond strongly to illegal filming and the uploading of such footage."

Previously, an online community post claimed that a male audience member, apparently a fan of Choi Sooyoung, took out a camera and continuously filmed during the 'Wife' play, sparking controversy. The author wrote, "The play was in full progress, and it was clearly not a time to take photos, but (during the scene where Choi Sooyoung was changing clothes) he took out a telephoto camera and started shooting photos rapidly like crazy," adding, "He targeted only a specific actress. It seemed like he took close to a hundred photos from dozens of shots, and no one stopped him while he was pressing the shutter."

On the afternoon of December 13 last year, actress Choi Sooyoung is demonstrating key scenes at the rehearsal room open event for the play 'Wife' held at JTN Art Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He continued, "As soon as that man started filming, I heard cameras being taken out and photos being taken here and there," raising concerns about the lack of proper management at the venue. In addition to this post, several other audience members shared discomfort caused by some attendees taking photos and videos. The play 'Wife,' running until the 8th of next month, is a work inspired by playwright Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House.' It begins at the end of 'A Doll's House' and organically connects four eras from 1959 to 2046, addressing the lives of women and sexual minorities. Choi Sooyoung attracted attention by taking on three roles in one.

Meanwhile, copyright law regards the distribution of unauthorized recordings (milcam) of performances such as plays, musicals, and concerts for commercial purposes or habitual distribution as copyright infringement, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won, along with criminal penalties. Furthermore, the distribution of milcam footage not only infringes on the legitimate interests of copyright holders but also causes a vicious cycle of reduced audience numbers and ticket revenue, as well as diminished creative motivation for producers, potentially causing widespread damage to the performance ecosystem.