Lee Sun-kyun and G-Dragon are expected to pay large amounts of penalties if their drug allegations are true
On October 19th, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency’s Drug Crime Investigation Division announced that they were investigating Lee Sun-kyun and some other people, including aspiring entertainers and an entertainment establishment director, on drug charges.
The news of Lee Sun-kyun being booked for an internal police investigation caused a stir in the advertising industry. SK Telecom and SK Broadband selected Lee Sun-kyun and Jeon Hye-jin as their models for kid’s brand advertisements in November last year. After the issue arose, CF videos of the two on YouTube were immediately switched to private.
The health functional food brand modeled by Lee Sun-kyun also changed their promotional slogan from “XXX Chosen by Lee Sun-kyun” to “1:1 Customized Nutrient XXX”. In addition, the premiere of films starring Lee Sun-kyun, such as “Project Silence” and “The Land of Happiness”, have also been delayed.
The same thing happened to G-Dragon. The advertisement of G-Dragon as a promotional ambassador for BMW Korea’s New XM has become a private video on the official channel of BMW Korea. Chanel did not delete promotional videos of ambassador G-Dragon but the brand confirmed that they already acknowledged G-Dragon’s drug investigation. It is expected that Chanel will also take steps to remove content of G-Dragon and the male singer may have to pay a significant penalty to this luxury brand.
In this regard, an official in the advertising industry explained, “The moment a celebrity gets involved in a scandal, their image has already been tarnished, and all the outdoor, print, and viral advertisements would be removed. The headquarters will order the affiliated stores to take down all the advertisements, and if the celebrity is cleared of charges, they will put them up again”, adding “Viral marketing is often conducted on outsourcing. In particular, if the contract condition requires uploading SNS content 10 times, existing ads will be taken down when controversies arise and remaining uploads will be stopped”.
Regarding the possibility of a penalty lawsuit, the official said “Not all advertising companies do this, but in most cases, penalty lawsuit depends on whether the allegations are true or false”, adding “Once the allegation is confirmed to be true, it becomes a social issue rather than a controversy. This time, a penalty lawsuit is considered the most important priority for the brand. The amount of penalty may be as much as the amount of profits the celebrity earned from the advertisements they have done.”
In fact, the brand image is already damaged due to drug allegations. How do brands view this? A brand’s representative cautiously said, “Normally, we don’t issue any positions on the ongoing investigations. Legal results are unpredictable and various scenarios can arise so it is more appropriate for us to respond after the final results are announced. Giving a response early affects not only public opinion but also the legal process.”
They continued, “It is common to see entertainment agencies denying the allegations before the final results because it’s their decision to minimize damage to the celebrity’s image and prevent additional damage. However, what matters is the police’s judgment on the celebrity’s drug use.”
Investigations into the drug allegations of Lee Sun-kyun and G-Dragon have already begun. Attention is focused on how this series of drug scandals in the entertainment industry will end.
Source: Nate
