The right of publicity was first known to the Korean legal society in 1995 when damages were sought with a totally new cause of action in the name of 'an infringement of the right of publicity' by the descendants of a late Korean-American atomic physicist whose name and portraits were alleged to have been appropriated in two novels published in Korea without plaintiff's prior consent. Though the plaintiff lost the case for failing to satisfy the requirements for damages, the court made a memorable holding in which the concept of the publicity right was first recognized in Korea's legal history. From this case on, an increasing number of famous entertainers have begun to exploit the publicity right to gain economic profit from their personae. With the rapid development of the entertainment and professional sports business in Korea, the image of a famous person has acquired an ever growing potential for significant economic value.
