Choi Jin Shil Sued from the Grave for Husband’s Beating
Shinhan construction company filed a suit against actress Choi Jin Shil for what they perceived as her not fulfilling her duties as a spokesperson for them in 2004. The suit was won in Choi’s favor back in 2004 but the company appealed last year (most likely, hopefully, before her suicide) and the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, granting Shinhan 1.1 billion in a settlement. From the Korea Herald: ”‘Models who failed to maintain appropriate dignity as representatives of the products they represent should compensate for the damages caused to their advertiser’, the top court ruled.”
What did Choi Jin Shil do to become an “unsuitable” spokesmodel? How did she fail to “maintain appropriate dignity”? Well, back in 2004, while under contract with Shinhan, Choi Jin Shil was beaten by her husband, Cho Sung Min.
The incident was highly publicized and clearly Choi didn’t have the same image she had before. But is she responsible for her husbands violence? A lower court ruled no, stating that she could not be held responsible for her then-husband’s violence. But the supreme court felt that:
“The purpose of the brand model contract is to use the model’s social reputation and images to draw the customers’ interest, the model’s failure to maintain an adequate image constitutes a breach of the hiring contract.”
This is true but once again, how dare anyone sue a woman for being victimized by her own husband? How can a supreme court rule in favor of such an appeal? This ruling sets a scary and extremely sexist precedent.
Shinhan asked for 3 billion won of Choi’s 5 billion won estate left to her children. However, the court granted them a total of 1.1 billion won (less than half of which was compensation for breach of contract as stated in the contract). Though the company isn’t getting the 3 billion they asked for they’re still taking over 1/5th of Choi Jin Shil’s estate. And why? Because they think Choi Jin Shil is responsible for getting beat up by her ex-husband. To say I’m disgusted and offended would a pretty accurate representation of what I’m feeling. I hope that Choi’s family appeals this Supreme court decision. And I hope people are outraged and show it. This is extremely disrespectful to the late Choi Jin Shil, alive or deceased.
how could you do that to a person who has passed away all they can think about is money
to show i’m disgusted would be an understatement.
that’s all i’m going to say cause i can’t describe my shame for my country
I am repulsed. She was blamed for not keeping up an image because her husband beat her? That was HER fault? No, it’s not. This is awful.
*speechless*
seriously? she was sued because she was beaten by her husband?
wow…
that is ridiculous. I cant believe the supreme court actually ruled in their favor. That is a complete embarrassment for the korean court system. I hope netizens voice out their outrage and ruin the stupid company’s reputation
This is so horrible and sexist. The court is doing the opposite of what it’s supposed to do…protect the citizens.
Domestic violence is wrong and they should know it…doing this is justifying the past actions Choi Jin Shil’s ex husband did.
And taking the money from Choi Jin Shil’s estate which are left for the kids is absolutely messed up. They lost their mother and the only thing left by her is going to be taken away by some filthy company?
I know business is business but this is too much…
they should leave Choi Jin Shil alone already.
She needs to be allowed in peace after all the stuff happened to her.
Her manager got killed, her friend’s husband passed away, her ex husband abusing her, the horrifying internet incident…
she had more than enough to deal with.
This is probably the saddest thing that I have ever heard. They are pretty much telling the rest of the battered women out there to suck it up and just keep it to yourself
We should bombard Shinhan with calls and letters of protest
Shinhan:
Tel: 82-2-369-0035
Address: PO Box 61
Zip code: 150-010
Shinhan Bldg 12-3
Yeouido-dong
Youngdeungpo-gu
Seoul, Korea
2008 Sales: $163,260,000,000; obviously they aren’t doing too badly!
How can we drive their stocks down?
Korean law does not make sense in general.
i am sooooo freakin pissed at this its extremely sexist and senseless its not she wanted those beatings, money makes people blind and berserk they are one fucked up company who is only after the $$$ signs and whats up with the court who cares about public image she was being victimized here , how can people be so money hungry???,man she had a tough life with all those money probs and the husband beatings atleast let her rest in peace man what would her children do when they know about it cmon man they are innocent, why can’t they take their shitless ass and go somewhere jeez its so freakin shameful thing to do how can they do this its really sad really really sad ,
oh and her husband can go rot in a gutter and i hope he dies miserably
Do you know that when polled, 3/4 of American women refused to identify themselves as feminists, as if it were some tainted label or some obsolete concept? How can you hear about horrendous crap like this and not consider yourself an advocate for equal protection and rights for your fellow women? I think the high school and college curriculum should focus much more on human rights abuses around the world, with an emphasis on the maltreatment of women at home and (especially) abroad.
that is so messed up. -_-
i hope choi jin shil wakes up from her grave and scared those hoodlums shitless
Leave a letter of protest to Shinhan at this website:
https://www.seco.co.kr/eng/cs/cs_04.htm
they should dig a hole in the ground and hide there till the end of the world, those shameless subhumans!
and once more S-korea shows the world how women count nothing over there and that domestic violence is ok and well accepted as long as the world outside the door wont get to know it.
i really hope korean public opinion will rise a voice about this mess
it simply makes me want to puke
I hope that, if the public isn’t appropriately outraged, this incident will at least be reported on in other countries and rightfully embarrass the Korean court system. We know that nationalist pride, not a fundamental concern for human rights, is what drives the government, so hopefully once they realize how their attitudes towards women are leagues behind most other industrialized democratic nations, they’ll begin reflecting on what type of image they want their country to have in the 21st century.
boycott shinhan!
how does this work: ” the model’s failure to maintain an adequate image”?
she didn’t beat herself up, or purposely ruin her image. cho sung min needs to be the one paying for damages. he needs to be COUNTERSUED, esp he’s on record admitting what he did.
bunch of old farts in supreme court – of course they think the woman should shut up when husband beats her.
how does a society from top to bottom malign a woman this way? sickening.
it makes me so sad to see that photo of cho jinsil…for chrissake she’s bruised from neck down. completely! and she was pregnant at the time!
how did that a-hole ex walk away scot-free? he needs to pay for every damage he left behind! his Male Privilege disgusts me!!
Yeah, I don’t get why that asshole of an ex-husband gets to walk away hassle free. B@stard.
i cannot believe that the court would decide on this. WTF??!!
Again, people blame the court. LAW is blind and sometime it doesn’t necessary in line with moral. The company provide all the legal document to show that she is GUILTY for having his image tarnish and that she was breach from the contract. And she getting hit by her husband is a different case with this..
The company in other hand is just DISGUSTING. They know they will win because they are strong legally, but where is their moral to sue two motherless child and take their inheritance money (the only thing that left from their mother). What a way to make your company going bankrupt.
NETIZEN show what you are capable for…
*and to remember that the government just decided to forgive and forget former president fault because he commit suicided really make me feel sick on how the society and politics works.
I say Choi Jin Shil family should hire a better lawyer that could provide the fact and legal act again this company
This is ridiculous! the woman died already (rip to her).. why are they still doing it? oh man, they arent on bankrupt status yet lol. why are they so after of it?
They… actually asked for 3/5 of her estate which goes to her children. AJHGFLKAGFSALJHGKLGH
They actually dared to ask/fight for more than half of it. No words can fully describe how repulsed I feel. It seems like they’re aiming for the money since she can’t really fight back now or give her testament huh? Maybe it’s because she could give a tearful account of the horrors of being beaten up and sway the judges, so that $^&)(& company only took action again after she’s dead.
Hopefully I’ll be proved wrong and it turns out they appealed before she died -__-
Her poor family… I wish them all the best.
[...] Korea Herald and SeoulBeats report that construction company Shinhan has sued Choi Jin-Sil for being beaten by her then [...]
this is SO wrong! wtf how can they do that to a dead women. that money was meant for her childrens’ future! they should re-appeal the decision again!
i read about this yesterday, and this seriously pissed me off
the poor woman has already been through enough, why cant they just let her rest in peace?? those bastards dont need the money or part of her estate… they’re basically saying “she ruined our image” but their company seems to be doing fine financial wise, and her husband is an asshole how the hell is he getting away with beating her?? and how is this company getting away with taking money from a dead woman?? BOTH OF THEM SHOULD BE ASHAMED!!!
THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! WTH IS THE SOUTH KOREAN SUPREME COURT THINKING?!?
Shinhan didn’t need a model to ruin their image…it looks like they do it on their own just fine.
this is disgusting
This doesn’t help Korea’s already tarnished image. It’s no wonder people think negatively about Korea and Korean’s. I hope that Korean Americans don’t suffer any backlash because of Korea’s stupid decisions.
I really hope the family will appeal and that Koreans will boycott that company.
That Choi Jin Sil is dead now makes it worse but even if the company appealed before her suicide, I’m completely shocked, dismayed, and disgusted. A person (male or female) cannot be held responsible for the actions of some asshole who beat the crap out of them. It’s not that she failed to “uphold her image,” that ability was [i]taken from her[/i]. I cannot believe the higher courts overturned the ruling of the more sensible lower courts.
It also makes me pretty sad that there are photos of the abuse circulating the internet. This poor woman. :(
THAT’S BS!!!!!!
Im so pissed and disgusted with Korea court system is this how they protect their people?!! Choi Jin-Sil was abused by her husband how come that is her fault ?!! the women is dead they must show respect for her and her family espcially her children …i mean this is sick actually more than sick i know people will bash me but thank god i dont live in korea and im not korean if this how they rule so then im glad that im not korea i hope the whole world will know about this law suit and extremely sexist preceden court system
This is seriously f*cked up.
WTF? They sued her for not maintaining her image because she was beaten up by her husband????
I’m with all of you. So disgusted and offended. HOW DARE THEY.
This is soooooooo effin sexist.
Sadly, some countries are still ruled by male-biased laws, if not many.
Arrrrghh… Yeah, they should boycott Shinhan for this shameless act. Damn them. I hope SKorea would react and protest to this.
Idiots.
omo.. that is disgusting. they should be ashamed of themselves! first, for even suing her in the first place for getting beaten by her husband??? and then take her money from beyond the grave? omg..
I hope people riot in the streets like they did over the American mad cow beef thing. This is a blow to Choi Jin Shil, her children, and women everywhere who have been victims of domestic abuse, past, present, or future. I would like to be updated on this story, if anymore news breaks regarding this, or the public’s reaction. If there were ever a time for netizens to become outraged, it is now!
i wont lie korean law is a bit of a mystery to me and to beleive so called judges or a judge in high seats granted this law suit,i wont be surprised if one of the judges knows someone from the company if you catch my drift I dont beleive a good judge even when not in his right mind would grant such a law suit then again we may never know.
but at the same time im not surprised the lengths human beings would go to for money
It’s definately an ajosshi’s world living in Korea.
This is absolutely ridiculous. Choi Jin Sil deserves more respect than this. Fck Korea’s court system.
@onsam: What happened to her manager? How did he get killed?
Other than leaving a letter of protest to Shinhan at their website:
https://www.seco.co.kr/eng/cs/cs_04.htm
You can also write letters to the Korea Times and Korea Herald, or the Joongang Daily
That’s messed up.
Basically, she’s getting sued because she got beaten up by her husband, and didn’t act “dignified” about it for her company.
What. The. F***.
as i read abt this preposterous court decision,i coudnt help but furious.where in this world could you find such.o my.i hope choi jin shil will rise from her grave and defend the inheritance of her kids.this issue should be blown up for the world to know and lets see what will happen to shinshan co in the end.will they prosper by getting that money or they will go bankrupt as they will be haunted by the wraith of choi.pls.keep us abreast with this issue.
That a victim of domestic abuse is successfully sued for not maintaining her image is beyond belief! I can only hope her family and friends will respect her by fighting for her kids against this ruling. Either that, or drive the freakin awful company into bankrupcy!!!
I wonder if the same thing would take place if she’d suffered common assault or GBH? Domestic violence is surely as bad if not worse given that the perpetrator can pick a time and place freely :S
Oh and the company is fucked up for pursuing this. I hope the netizens manage to coordinate boycotts/DDoS attacks etc.
“lee” thanks for the website! i’m gonna give them a peace of my mind!!! i’m going to bombard their site with my message!
https://www.seco.co.kr/eng/cs/cs_04.htm
Hwan Hee, Sumin.
2 hours and he is very loved. Look’s see them stand near the high with doctors, the scent ngậm unfortunately I have no comparison to the same child, so they are high and time for first ngả mother helpless.
Mother said she wishes to see the children grow, with children walking and playing with pride showing everyone that “the son of my day”. Fans also expect that the days of happiness … think about simple and obvious way forever never have been.
Do not understand why people always sympathize with the image I with twin son and father and step wave for cover girl. Hwan Hee, most beautiful children when they go I, although they are very small but also have many children when I was first on the title children.
Hwan Hee, Sumin and forever a “Lifetime Achievement” by Mother Choi Jin Sil, the project contains the gall bag and loss of the mother. But the two children brought smiles back to mother children, smile really was not off long after I get them husbands. In the photos that I see them, always a feature of later complaints khandhas even when I smile they carry healthy environment.
Hwan Hee, then they will grow like? You have the mother and the steps to the village full of entertainment nghiet falls or children choose their life for peace? Anyway go, people always love Choi hope they have a life is happy and bring happiness to the women of his life – that he was not the Father knows. Sumin and life-is-connected-life’s mother. Mother they will buy in the heart of children.
Look forward to seeing them on a large well. Hope they never forget who I have had the life of the project as the site of which the termination from the “Princess” to get her husband.
Love you.
Messages Choi Jin Sil
1.
Today written for her first letter, we will not talk about the death of her more nhé. Because everyone believes that only someone really died when they were forgotten and not love. Therefore, she is still living and still be around here.
Jin Sil love you. Walking is not only a movie again, not knowing she has more time for attention to children and to care for yourself more? Results of Vietnam in search of the hard film of her, considering the network is not what they sướng. As children, very very very want to find the movie’s way as she had (she is with husband Kim Nam Joo’s way, sure you remember which), the UK and children … But do not, they will search and wait time may Television stomach any good will return.
À Jin Sil. There is a child of this proposal, and she sure will have many people agreeing contract yet. If you have time, but no, she definitely must arrange time … school English. She must learn reading, writing, listening, speaking, free rot nhé. Ms. Smart that, English is not difficult to start with.
So we decided nhé. When her excellent English and then, they will write to you for reading.
Goodbye. Wish her slumber.
Love you.
WTF, that’s just messed up
choi jin shil rest in peace =’(
we love you so much!