The culture ministry said Thursday it will launch a special investigation into allegations that the late popular cartoonist, Lee Woo-young, had unfair contracts with publishers and agencies.
Lee, the author of the beloved '90s comic book series "Black Rubber Shoes," was found dead in his Incheon home on March 11 in an apparent suicide. His family said he was going through a rough time due to lawsuits regarding copyright issues.
In 2008, the 51-year-old cartoonist signed a contract with a character agency, entrusting it with all business rights to the comic book series. However, in 2019, he was sued by the agency for allegedly violating the copyright of his own creation by using characters from the series for his other work without permission from the agency.
Following Lee's death, the Korea Cartoonist Association called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to investigate the "unfairness" of the contracts he signed with publishers and character agencies.
During a press briefing Thursday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced it would establish a special investigation team comprising ministry officials, employees from related government organizations, and experts to conduct the probe.
The team will try to find out if the contracts the late author had signed are against the Artistic Rights Protection Act, according to the ministry.
The law was enacted in 2021 after the "blacklist scandal," in which the former Park Geun-hye government created a list of artists deemed critical of the conservative government and excluded them from state subsidies. The law aims to protect the rights of artists and addresses issues, such as unfair contract terms, profit distribution, freedom of expression and sexual violence.
The ministry said it will report the case for a criminal probe through a screening by a panel established under the law, if any illegality is found in the probe.
There also will be follow-up measures by relevant authorities, such as the Fair Trade Commission, if Lee is found to have been forced to sign unfair contracts, officials added.
Source: Yonhap News Agency