Cultural Expo Officially Declares Yudongryong, Copyright Holder of Gyeongju Tower

Unveiling Ceremony of Gyeongju Tower and Architect Yu Dong-ryong (Photo by Gyeongju Expo)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Ju Cheol-in] The world-renowned architect, Korean-Japanese late Mr. Yu Dong-ryong (1937?2011, pen name Itami Jun), has been officially declared the copyright holder of the Gyeongju Tower design.

This comes more than 12 years after the late architect and his family engaged in legal battles with the Gyeongju Expo side over design plagiarism.

The Cultural Expo Foundation held a plaque unveiling ceremony on the 17th at Gyeongju Expo Park, declaring Mr. Yu Dong-ryong as the original copyright holder of the Gyeongju Tower design.

The event was attended by Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do and Chairman of the Cultural Expo, Joo Nak-young, Mayor of Gyeongju, Yu Ihwa, eldest daughter of Mr. Yu Dong-ryong and director of TIM Architecture Office, and director Jung Da-woon, who made the film "Itami Jun's Sea."

The plaque ceremony was organized to conclude the copyright dispute over the Gyeongju Tower design, restore the late Mr. Yu’s honor by publicly acknowledging him as the copyright holder, and console his family.

Photo by Gyeongju Expo

Yu Ihwa, eldest daughter of Mr. Yu Dong-ryong, said, "The fight over more than ten years was difficult and not easy, but I am glad to see a good outcome today through this plaque ceremony."

Governor Lee said at the ceremony, "It is very regrettable and shameful that the Cultural Expo, which should lead in protecting the copyrights of cultural artists, has in the past infringed on intellectual property."

He added, "The reason Gyeongju Tower has been loved as a modern landmark symbolizing Gyeongju is thanks to the design that projected the shape of the nine-story wooden pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple onto the glass tower and realized it in intaglio."

The copyright lawsuit related to Gyeongju Tower began after controversy arose that the tower, completed in 2007 through a design competition held in 2004, resembled the design submitted by Mr. Yu Dong-ryong to the competition.

The legal battle, which started at the end of 2007, was settled in July 2011 when the Supreme Court ruled that the copyright of the Gyeongju Tower design belonged to Mr. Yu. Unfortunately, Mr. Yu passed away one month before the favorable ruling.

Subsequent lawsuits regarding the display of the copyright holder’s name also favored Mr. Yu’s side. Following the ruling, the Cultural Expo installed a marker on the right side of the Gyeongju Tower floor in September 2012, indicating Mr. Yu Dong-ryong as the original copyright holder.

However, as the marker was placed in a corner and not easily visible, and the paint of the inscription peeled off, Mr. Yu’s family filed another lawsuit in September last year to enforce the installation of proper name display.

After understanding the details of the copyright infringement lawsuit, Lee Cheol-woo, Chairman of the Cultural Expo Foundation, instructed to recognize the original design and actively restore the late architect’s honor, leading to the plaque ceremony.

The Cultural Expo plans to hold a special commemorative art exhibition next year to mark the 10th anniversary of Mr. Yu’s passing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.