Payments are overdue for politically-oriented ads that were placed by high-profile Koreans

Payments are overdue for politically-oriented ads that were placed by high-profile Koreans and displayed prominently in Times Square, and the issue has raised some concerns, reports Korea Times’ Jane Han in its English language edition. Experts fear there could be repercussions when it comes to future efforts to promote the country’s image, and that the Korean community’s ability to work with others could be affected.

Korean singer Kim Jang-hoon was behind ads concerning Dokdo [islands in the middle of a diplomatic row between South Korea and Japan; the latter refers to the territory as Takeshima] and “comfort women” while the Korean TV program Infinite Challenge sponsored a bibimbap [Korean dish] ad.

City Outdoor USA, the New York-based company that operates the billboards, however, has not received payment for them and has consequently filed a lawsuit against ISEA Communication, the Korean-American ad agency in the middle of the pay dispute.

According to the complaint, acquired by Korean-American journalist Ahn Chi-yong, the company is demanding approximately $70,000 (75 million won) for four billboard signs that have been overdue since 2012.

According to Seo Kyoung-duk, who coordinated the ads, everyone on the Korean side did their part.

A middle man took off with it, says Seo, professor of Sungshin Women’s University and self-proclaimed Korea PR expert.

“Kim, Infinite Challenge and I have done nothing wrong whatsoever,” Seo told The Korea Times. “All of the money has been passed on to a Korean-American ad agency, which was responsible for making the payment to City Outdoor USA. But obviously, that never happened.”

Seo added that the ISEA agency said they will pay off the amount by the end of this month.

One Korean-American public relations expert, Charles Moon, voiced concerns about the precedent this could set.

“Word spreads fast in this industry. After one too many overdue payments like this, Korean ads may start getting rejected,” he said. “These aren’t ads promoting private companies or brands. They are meant to represent a country. Things really have to get done properly.”

Visit The Korea Times to read more about the impact this pay dispute could have on the community’s image.

http://www.koreatimesus.com/?p=8967