KeyEast to Pay 1.4 Billion Won Over Ji-soo's Removal from Drama

The court ruled that actor Ji-soo's former agency, KeyEast, must pay 1.4 billion won to the production company of the KBS2 drama 'River Where the Moon Rises.' Ji-soo was the lead actor in the 2021 drama but was removed due to allegations of school violence.

The Civil Agreement Department 31 (Chief Judge Kim Sang-woo) of the Seoul Central District Court ruled that KeyEast should pay 1.42 billion won, including delayed interest, to Victory Contents, the production company. The court did not provide specific reasons for the judgment.



Ji-soo was cast as the main character in 'River Where the Moon Rises,' and the drama was broadcast up to the sixth episode when the allegations emerged, leading to his removal from the show. At that point, 18 out of 20 episodes had been filmed. Consequently, the production team had to reshoot the first six episodes with a new actor, Na In-woo.

Victory Contents filed a lawsuit against KeyEast, seeking 3 billion won in damages for the additional production costs incurred due to the reshoots. KeyEast terminated its exclusive contract with Ji-soo in May 2021. In July 2021, Ji-soo filed complaints against those spreading false rumors and articles about the allegations. By October, Ji-soo announced he had resolved misunderstandings with the netizens who had raised the suspicions and is currently engaging with fans on social media, aiming to return to acting.