The legal dispute over the 100 won coin engraved with the portrait of Admiral Yi Sun-sin has been ongoing since 1983.
On the 9th, the bereaved family of the late artist Jang Woo-sung filed a lawsuit against the Bank of Korea to demand 40 years of copyright fees for the portrait of Admiral Yi Sun-sin painted on a 100 won note.
The Bank of Korea decided to use the portrait of Admiral Yi Sun-sin in 1975 and paid 1.5 million won for it. However, because the contract has disappeared, the contract period and conditions at the time cannot be confirmed.
The bereaved family is claiming that they should be paid a separate usage fee for 40 years for using the currency portrait, but the Bank of Korea is in the position that it has already taken over the copyright for it. Experts are expected to debate whether the value of 1.5 million won at the time was sufficient to transfer the entire copyright, and when converted to current value, 1.5 million won is approximately 17.05 million won.
The bereaved family is expressing regret over the copyright issue as well as the controversy over the artist’s pro-Japanese activities.
He stated that depending on the results, he may also request the return of the portrait. The first trial ruling that will decide the fate of Admiral Yi Sun-sin is scheduled to be made public today (13th).