The side of the late actor Kim Su-mi has not been paid appearance fees for two years by the producer of the musical "Chinjeong Mom." The Korea Entertainment Management Association (CEMA) and the Korea Broadcasting Actors' Union (KBAU) are urging payment of the overdue appearance fees.
CEMA's Special Disciplinary, Mediation and Ethics Committee and the KBAU issued a joint statement on the 13th, criticizing that the producer of "Chinjeong Mom" "breached the contractual principle of good faith and failed to pay appearance fees."
They said it was "a serious illegal act, an unjustifiable disruption of order, and an act of insulting the deceased," and noted that "the producer of 'Chinjeong Mom,' in which Kim Su-mi, who died in 2024, made an appearance, has not paid the clearly fixed appearance fees under the 'performing arts appearance contract' signed in Apr. of the same year, with the payment date now nearly two years past."
"Chinjeong Mom" is a work in which Kim Su-mi played the lead role Bong-ran from its 2010 premiere, making an appearance for 14 years. Kim Su-mi once showed her affection for "Chinjeong Mom," saying it was "a work I will take to the grave."
CEMA and the KBAU warned, "At this point, when the deceased who suffered from unpaid appearance fees and even the family are speaking of secondary harm, we can no longer overlook this situation," adding, "If the nonpayment of appearance fees continues, we will regard it as an illegal act, lead efforts to oust them from the industry, and sanction the activities of the producer and the production company."