The Korea Herald

지나쌤

'Legend of the Blue Sea' writer vows legal action against plagiarism charge

By KH디지털2

Published : Feb. 2, 2017 - 18:13

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Park Ji-eun, screenwriter of SBS TV's "Legend of the Blue Sea," said Thursday she will take legal action against accusations her mermaid show copied an unmade-film scenario.

(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

In a joint statement released with the show's production company Culture Depot, Park said she will launch a "strong legal response" against what she described as "false accusations."

Screenwriter Park Ki-hyun on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Park Ji-eun, claiming that the TV series violated copyrights of an unmade movie scenario titled "The Legend of Hae Wol Sea: Pearly Shells."

Park Ji-eun insists her story is an original work based on the mermaid legend in "Eou Yadam," Korea's first-known collection of documented historical tales from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Culture Depot claimed that, besides the human-mermaid romance element, the works are vastly different. The company stated "the wrongful practice of suing a famed writer irresponsibly for personal gain must be eradicated."

"Legend of the Blue Sea" made headlines for bringing together two of the biggest "hallyu" stars -- Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho.

The series ended last month with good ratings. (Yonhap)