"Man from the Stars" Production Comes Out Strong Against Lawsuit by "Sul Hee" Author

Following reports that the author of the manhwa “Sul Hee,” Kang Kyung Ok, is suing the producers of the SBS drama “Man From the Stars,”  production company HB Entertainment has announced its official position regarding the lawsuit against it.

HB Entertainment said in an official statement, “We will take strong legal against against the 600 million won lawsuit by manhwa ‘Sul Hee’ author Kang Kyung Ok.” The company explained that it has all the written evidence and witness to prove that Park Ji Eun, the writer of “Man from the Stars,” has worked on the story since 2003. It continued, “We have prepared to take legal action to demand compensation for the  mental stress,  material loss, and damages from issues with future enterprises.” The 600 million won is a combination of the lawsuit against the production company (300 million won) and the writer Park Ji Eun  (300 million won). 

The company is coming out strong against Kang Kyung Ok, stating it is wrong to play the press and create perpetrators and victims based on one-sided opinions. “We need to stamp out people who show an indifferent and irresponsible attitude after claiming plagiarism against a creator, which is like a death sentence.”

Yesterday, a spokesperson from Kang Ho Law Firm, which is representing Ms. Kang, stated that “Our client is seeking 300 million won (roughly 292,00 USD)  in compensation for copyright infringement from HB Entertainment and script writer Park Ji Eun in the Seoul Central District Court. The results of a careful analysis indicate that the main characters, plot, and development of events in both ‘Sul Hee’ and ‘Man From the Stars’ are very similar.” The representative also remarked that the author had recognized the violation of her rights from the very start of the show’s broadcast and thus suffered severe mental distress.

“Man From the Stars,” which finished its run in February, is about an alien who came to earth 400 years ago and winds up falling in love with top star Cheon Song Yi in the present day. Kang Kyung Ok first brought up the issue of plagiarism after the show premiered, writing on her personal blog that “The story arc seems very similar to ‘Sul Hee.’”

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