[Exclusive] "100-won Coin Face to Change?" Lee Sun-shin Portrait 40-Year Copyright Fee Dispute Raises Attention

Bereaved Family: "Copyright Royalties Must Be Paid for 40 Years"
Bank of Korea: "We Hold Copyright for Currency Portraits"
Possibility of Complete Replacement Depending on Court Ruling

Standard Portrait of Yi Sun-sin

The copyright dispute lawsuit filed by the family of the late Oriental painter Jang Woo-sung, who painted the portrait of Admiral Yi Sun-sin used on the 100-won banknote, against the Bank of Korea is coming to a close next month after more than three years of legal battles. The family is demanding both 40 years' worth of copyright fees and the return of the Yi Sun-sin portrait. Depending on the court's ruling, this could lead not only to a complete replacement of the portrait on the coin but also to copyright disputes over portraits used on other banknotes, potentially causing significant social repercussions.

According to the Bank of Korea and legal circles on the 11th, the first trial verdict for the civil lawsuit filed by Jang Hak-gu, the son of Jang Woo-sung and director of the Icheon City Woljeon Museum of Art, against the Bank of Korea at the Seoul Central District Court will be delivered on the 13th of next month. This case dates back two years. Jang, the heir of the late painter who created the Yi Sun-sin portrait for the 100-won currency, filed the civil lawsuit in October 2021.

The portrait of Admiral Yi Sun-sin painted by Jang was used on the 500-won banknote from 1973 to 1993 and on the 100-won coin from 1983 to the present. The family claims copyright infringement and is actively seeking compensation. The portrait, designated as the first standard portrait in Korea during the Park Chung-hee regime in 1973, was newly created at the request of the Bank of Korea for use as a currency design and has been used on the front of the 100-won coin since 1983.

During previous hearings, the positions of both sides were sharply divided. The Bank of Korea firmly maintains that it had obtained the transfer and usage permission from the original author at the time, constituting fair use. A Bank of Korea official stated, "When producing the Yi Sun-sin currency portrait in 1975, we paid an appropriate amount of 1.5 million won, which was not a small sum considering the prices at that time. The Bank of Korea creates currency portraits based on the standard portrait and uses it as a design, and the copyright of the currency portrait belongs to the Bank of Korea, so there is no problem."

On the other hand, the family argues that they have not been properly compensated for copyright fees over the past 40 years and that some groups have criticized Jang Woo-sung's pro-Japanese activities, labeling him as a pro-Japanese artist, and are strongly demanding the return of the portrait. The Icheon City Woljeon Museum of Art told Asia Economy on the 8th, "This copyright lawsuit is being conducted by Jang's son as an individual, not by the foundation he established," but added, "We are carefully awaiting the court's ruling next month." The amount and scale of damages will be determined based on the trial outcome.

Risk of Multiple Copyright Lawsuits... Concerns Over Replacement Costs in the Billions of Won

The issue is that this ruling could highlight social conflicts not only due to copyright issues but also because of the controversy over Jang Woo-sung's pro-Japanese activities. Jang was listed in the "Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators" published by the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities in 2009 amid the controversy. As a result, there have been continuous calls to revoke the designation of the standard portrait, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been reviewing this matter for four years. A ministry official explained, "Due to allegations of the artist's pro-Japanese activities and costume verification errors, voices calling for the revocation of the standard portrait designation have persisted. Since the second half of 2020, we have been reviewing whether to revoke it, but no conclusion has been reached yet. Given the complexity and significant impact of the issue, we are examining it thoroughly." The Bank of Korea has stated that it will replace the coin if the standard portrait designation is revoked, but due to various controversies, the designation has been maintained, and the situation has not escalated to the extreme of replacing the coin yet.

There is particular concern that this controversy may not end with the 100-won coin. The painters who created the standard portraits that served as the basis for the currency portraits on the 5,000-won bill (Yulgok Yi I), 10,000-won bill (King Sejong), and 50,000-won bill (Shin Saimdang) were classified as pro-Japanese and anti-national collaborators by the Presidential Committee on Anti-Japanese and Anti-National Activities Truth Commission in 2009, sparking replacement debates. At that time, the Bank of Korea estimated that replacing these three banknotes would cost about 470 billion won.

An industry insider said, "If the family wins the ruling next month, there is a risk that copyright issues will arise one after another regarding the portraits currently used in currency designs. Most currency designs are based on portraits painted by artists." They added, "As the controversy over pro-Japanese activities spreads into social conflicts, there is a possibility that it could escalate to the issue of completely replacing coins and banknotes. In that case, enormous social costs would be incurred," expressing concern.

Meanwhile, amid the copyright dispute over currency portraits, the National Future Strategy Institute of Seoul National University recently drew attention by launching a comprehensive critique of banknote portraits, proposing that symbolic scenes such as the March 1st Movement be selected as illustrations on banknotes instead of portraits of individuals. In its annual report published on the 7th, the institute posted an article titled "Let's move away from Joseon's identity starting with banknote portraits," pointing out serious problems with the current selection of portraits on Korean banknotes. The report stated, "All the figures on the banknotes are from the early Joseon period of the 15th to 16th centuries, with no figures from the modern era or even the late Joseon period. Moreover, many Neo-Confucian scholars fill the modern banknote portraits, which could lead to the misunderstanding that Neo-Confucianism is the ideology supporting the Republic of Korea. Since the figures appearing on the banknotes issued by the state symbolize the country's aspirations and identity, deep consideration is necessary."

The Bank of Korea is unveiling the exterior of its newly constructed integrated annex, completed after six years, in Jung-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 27th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

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