Relatives of the artist claim Bank of Korea unauthorized use of Admiral Yi Sun-sin portrait on 100-won coin

Bank of Korea: "1.5 Million Won Paid in 1975"
Court: "Portrait Copyright Belongs to Bank of Korea"... Appeal Dismissed

The family of the artist who painted the portrait of Admiral Yi Sun-sin on the coin filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Bank of Korea, but the second trial delivered the same verdict as the first trial.

On the 14th, the 8-3 Civil Appeal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Yang-hoon) dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. Jang, the bereaved family member of the late painter Jang Woo-sung, in a copyright infringement damage claim lawsuit against the Bank of Korea. Mr. Jang claimed that he "inherited the copyright of Admiral Yi Sun-sin's portrait" and that the Bank of Korea used the portrait without permission on the 100-won coin. The portrait was inserted on the 500-won coin used between 1973 and 1993 and on the 100-won coin used from 1983 to the present.

Court. Asia Economy DB

In October 2021, Mr. Jang filed a damage compensation lawsuit worth about 100 million won against the Bank of Korea, demanding payment for the use of the portrait and the return of the portrait. In response, the Bank of Korea argued that "1.5 million won, an appropriate amount at the time of the portrait production for the currency in 1975, was already paid, so the copyright holder's transfer or permission for use was obtained."

The first trial ruled that "the copyright of the portrait for the currency design belongs to the Bank of Korea." It also stated, "All rights such as reproduction rights belong to the author, Mr. Jang," but "Mr. Jang's side only claimed that the Bank of Korea used the standard portrait and did not prove specific damages."

Mr. Jang appealed the first trial verdict, but the second trial court dismissed it and ordered "the plaintiff to bear the appeal costs."

The late painter Jang was a figure who sought new forms and directions in Korean painting. During his lifetime, he served as a professor at Seoul National University and Hongik University and also founded the Eastern Art Research Association. Born in 1912, he passed away in October 2019 due to old age.