Comedian Byeon Gi-su. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]
Comedian Byeon Gi-su. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

Comedian Byeon Gi-su has expressed outrage after his name and photo were used without permission in a fake stomach cancer story circulating online.

On Sunday, Byeon posted on Instagram saying he had never had stomach cancer. "There are people out there writing posts using my name and my photo, pretending I had stomach cancer and claiming I overcame it — it genuinely gives me chills, it's so disgusting," he wrote.

A photo Byeon shared showed a blog post titled "I had to go on stage even after having my stomach removed — Byeon Gi-su, finding happiness in a single spoonful of rice after stomach cancer surgery." The post falsely claimed Byeon had part of his stomach removed and found joy in eating a single spoonful of rice.

Byeon shared the post with an acquaintance, asking, "Can you sue for something like this? I have never had stomach cancer." He added: "I was contacted about this and I feel so disgusted and upset. If my parents see it, I think they will be deeply hurt. No matter how I think about it, this is just wrong. I am heartbroken."

Cases of celebrities' photos and videos being used in advertisements without consent have been increasing. Under South Korea's Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, unauthorized use of another person's likeness to promote fraudulent products can constitute defamation through false statements of fact and violation of portrait rights, carrying penalties of up to seven years in prison, up to 10 years of suspension of qualifications, or a fine of up to 50 million won ($32,400).


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