Kim Tae Woo's Agency To Pay Compensation To Weight Loss Management Company For Contract Violation Due To Weight Gain

Kim Tae Woo’s agency will be paying compensation to a weight loss management company after a contract violation. 

On August 29, it was reported that head judge Lee Mi Sun of the Seoul Central District Court ruled that the agency representing Kim Tae Woo pay half the model appearance fees — amounting to 65 million won (approximately $58,500) — to weight loss management company “A.”

In September of 2015, company A’s advertising agency signed an exclusive contract with Kim Tae Woo’s agency. During the contract’s term, he was to lose weight until the goal weight was met. After the contract expired, in order to maintain that weight, he was to receive a weekly “yoyo prevention” weight management program for one year. The company paid the agency 130 million won (approximately $117,000) in model appearance fees.

Kim Tae Woo participated in the program and achieved his goal weight of 85 kilograms (approximately 187 pounds) in April 2016. The company distributed reports that stated that he had succeeded in his weight loss through websites as well as promotional videos. Kim Tae Woo also revealed that he had successfully lost weight on various shows.

Beginning in May, due to various issues such as his broadcasting schedule, Kim Tae Woo was unable to continue to properly participate in the management program. He eventually began to gain weight, and three months later he exceeded his goal weight. As he continued to appear on shows with the weight gain, company A’s customers began to request refunds.

On the grounds that the terms of the contract hadn’t properly been fulfilled, company A filed the lawsuit.

Head Judge Lee stated, “Kim Tae Woo’s agency did not fulfill the responsibility of regularly making him participate in the weight management program. As a result, there was financial loss to the plaintiff.” Regarding the singer himself, the judge ruled that it was a matter of contract violation, and that as the model, it would be difficult to say that he had caused damage to his own name, evoked societal criticism, or acted in a way that damaged A’s image, and therefore did not rule that Kim Tae Woo had liability of compensation.

On the amount of the agency’s ordered compensation, the judge stated, “It appears that the advertising impact for company A of Kim’s successful weight loss was not low. A’s decline in sales cannot only be attributed to Kim’s failure to maintain his weight loss.”

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