HB Entertainment, the producers of "You Who Came from The Stars" have responded strongly to the plagiarism suit filed against them.
Kang Kyung Ok, author of the manga "Sul Hee" filed a $600,000 plagiarism suit against the company and the drama's writer on April 20. Kang claims the drama, which starred Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun, is too similar to her 2008 comic to be a coincidence.
According to the Kang Ho Law Firm, which represents Kang, their client has enough evidence to win her copyright infringement suit against HB Entertainment and the drama's writer Park Ji Eun.
"The results of a careful analysis indicate that the main characters, plot and development of events in both 'Sul Hee' and "You Who Came From The Stars' are very similar."
This week HB responded with a strong statement, claiming that it has written evidence to prove that Park worked on the drama since 2003.
"We will take strong legal action against the lawsuit by Kang Kyung Ok, author of the manga 'Sul Hee,'" said an HB Entertainment representative. "We are prepared to take legal action to demand compensation for the mental stress, material loss and damages from issues with future enterprises."
Kang's suit also factors in mental stress.
"The author recognized that her rights were violated from the start of the show's broadcast and suffered severe mental distress," said her lawyers.
The drama tells the story of an alien who arrived on earth 400 years ago. He does not age and remains long enough to fall in love with a Hallyu star that looks just like the woman he lost 400 years ago. Both stories were obviously inspired by Joseon-era records that say a UFO was seen over Korea.
In "Sul Hee," an alien lands on the earth 400 years ago and lives there without aging. She moves to Korea to look for a man who helped her in her childhood and who looks exactly like a man who helped her in a past life. He has become a movie star and they begin to date.
"While it's true that anyone can use the Gwanhaegun records, the part detailing the life of a person who lives for 400 years without aging is original to 'Sul hee,'" said Kang Kyung Ok. "Although the drama switched up the atmosphere and the roles of the man and the woman and the sequence of events, the foundation of the story is too similar."
HB Entertainment disputes the similarities. They also say that Kang should have voiced her concerns to the production company early on rather than posting her allegations on her personal blog. They say her claims defame the drama's writer.
"Through writer Kang's unverified remarks about copyright violation, writer Park became the victim of severe defamation," said the HB representative.
HB Entertainment accused Kang of trying to profit from the successful drama.
Meanwhile, SBS is taking legal action against the producers of an Indonesian drama "Kaw Yang Berasal Dari Bintang" for plagiarizing "You Who Came From The Stars." The company told TV Report that the drama was created without obtaining the rights to remake "You Who Came From The Stars."
