JawaPos.com – Lee Kang In is currently in the middle of an internal dispute within the South Korean national football team.
Lee Kang In may face quite large compensation demands from advertisers with fines reaching billions of Won.
According to the advertising industry on February 19, 2024, Arachi Chicken removed advertising photos and videos featuring Lee Kang In from its website.
This move was analyzed as a result of the boycott movement that began with the controversy over Lee Kang In’s physical altercation with national team captain Son Heung Min.
Quoted from Allkpop, Monday (19/2), Arachi Chicken chose Lee Kang In as their advertising model in January last year, and has featured the 23 year old man in various promotions.
Her face is also used in TV commercials and on social media. In December last year, Arachi Chicken even introduced a limited edition packaging box featuring a photo of Lee Kang In for Christmas.
It is known in the advertising industry that Arachi Chicken spent around 500 million won or around IDR 5 trillion on advertising costs for Lee Kang In.
KT (telecommunications company) is on alert over the controversy surrounding Lee Kang In. On February 16, they instructed all dealers and sales stores nationwide to take down all posters of Lee Kang In and terminate employment contracts.
KT stated that the removal of Lee Kang-in’s poster was due to the end of the purchase benefit promotion. However, regarding the termination of the advertising and sponsorship contract with Lee Kang In, they are reviewing it from various angles.
Nexon, which is a video game company, chose Lee Kang In as an advertising model for FC Online, experiencing complaints from several users.
Since January 18, FC Online has used a character modeled after Lee Kang In in shows such as ‘The Life of a Chaebol Club’s Shootdol’ and ‘Match Play2.’
With multiple promotions involved, it seems difficult to terminate contracts or change models in the short term.
The advertising fees paid to Lee Kang In by KT and Nexon are known to be more than 1 billion won or around IDR 11 trillion.
Although the specific amount of the fine cannot be disclosed due to it being a private contract, advertising contracts usually include a clause stating, ‘In case of violation of law or social controversy, a fine of 2 to 3 times the advertising fee will be paid.’
Following this convention, the fine that Lee Kang In must pay is estimated to be between 5 billion to 7.5 billion won, or around IDR 59 trillion to IDR 87 billion.
Lee Kang In was criticized for clashing with the national team captain, Son Heung Min before the Asian Cup semifinal match on February 6, 2024.
According to the Korean Football Association, some players, including Lee Kang In, went home early after dinner to play table tennis, which Son Heung Min didn’t like.
This led to verbal and physical altercations. In this incident, Son Heung Min suffered an injury, spraining the middle finger and ring finger of his right hand.
Quoted from Allkpop, following the controversy, Lee Kang-in apologized via his social media.
“There were reports that I had a fight with brother Son Heung Min before the Asian Cup semi-finals. I have disappointed football fans, who have always supported our national team. I am truly sorry.”
However, he denied several media reports claiming that he punched Son Heung Min, and stated that it was not true.
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2024-02-19 15:15:00
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