Singer Heo Gak. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]
Singer Heo Gak. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

The agency of singer Heo Gak has announced plans to pursue civil and criminal legal action against a restaurant in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

On Sunday, Heo Gak's agency OS Project issued a statement saying a Namyangju restaurant identified as "Che***" had used Heo Gak's name and photos to promote its Aug. 29 opening event, and warned it would "take all available civil and criminal legal measures if necessary."

According to the agency, the restaurant had booked a performer named Heo Gong for the opening event, but the promotional materials featured the name and photo of Heo Gak instead.

The agency said it first learned of the issue on Aug. 17, when fans flagged a post on the restaurant's Naver Place page. The post included a photo of Heo Gak alongside text stating that "singer Heo Gak will make a surprise appearance and perform at a special opening event on Aug. 29."

OS Project said neither it nor Heo Gak had received any request or booking for the event, and that they had no knowledge of Heo Gong's booking or scheduled appearance.

The agency immediately contacted the restaurant to verify the facts. The restaurant acknowledged that Heo Gak's appearance had never been confirmed and attributed the promotional materials to a mistake made during the planning process, offering repeated apologies.

The agency called for the removal and correction of all promotional materials bearing Heo Gak's name and photo, as well as the posting of an official apology. It warned that failure to comply would result in legal action, including the sending of a formal legal notice.

The restaurant subsequently removed Heo Gak's name and photo from its online event announcement, but left in place language describing "a special surprise stage" and a "singer making a surprise visit for a live performance," and did not post an official apology.

On Saturday, the day of the event, promotional materials bearing Heo Gak's name and photo — which the agency had demanded be removed — were reportedly still displayed at the venue. Heo Gong took the stage as originally planned.

The agency also received reports from people who said they had made reservations or visited the venue based on the promotional claim that Heo Gak would appear. Some said they had waited at the venue for Heo Gak, and others reported being told he would be arriving soon.

OS Project said Heo Gak "has been subjected to unnecessary misunderstanding and criticism as a result of being portrayed as appearing at an event he had no involvement in whatsoever," adding that it is reviewing legal options regarding the unauthorized commercial use of his name and likeness, the false promotional claims, and the resulting damage to the artist's reputation and rights.


dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com