Ji Soo's River Where the Moon Rises lawsuit explained: Why his former agency must pay 880 million won compensation

The production company had originally filed a lawsuit seeking nearly 3 billion won, around $2 million, in damages.

More than four years after the controversy began, the legal battle over Korean actor Ji Soo's exit from the K-drama River Where the Moon Rises has finally come to an end. South Korea's Supreme Court has ruled that his former agency, Keyeast, must compensate the drama's production company after Ji Soo left the series in 2021 following school bullying allegations.

How the Supreme Court ruling became final

According to Korean media outlet Yonhap, legal sources revealed on July 6 that Keyeast withdrew its appeal before the Supreme Court's Third Division on June 24. With the appeal withdrawn, the second-instance court's ruling has now become final, requiring the agency to pay production company Canvas N (formerly Victory Contents) around 880 million won (approximately $640,000), along with delayed interest.

The production company had originally filed a lawsuit seeking nearly 3 billion won (around $2 million) in damages, arguing that Ji Soo's exit from the drama led to major additional production costs.

Lawsuit explained

The dispute began in March 2021 while River Where the Moon Rises was still airing. Ji Soo was playing the lead role of On Dal alongside Kim So Hyun, who starred as Princess Pyeonggang, also known as Yeom Ga Jin. However, the drama's run was disrupted after several people accused Ji Soo of school bullying through online posts.

After the allegations surfaced, Ji Soo admitted to some of the accusations and decided to leave the drama. By then, filming for 18 of the show's 20 episodes had already been completed, and six episodes had aired. To keep the series going, the production team brought in Na In Woo as the new lead from episode seven onwards. They also took the rare step of reshooting the first six episodes, along with the remaining ones, so the drama could continue with the new cast.

The reshoots came at a huge cost. The production had to spend more on actors, crew members, equipment rentals, filming locations and several other production expenses.

What was River Where the Moon Rises about?

Released in 2021, this South Korean historical drama is inspired by the famous Goguryeo folktale of Princess Pyeonggang and On Dal. It follows Princess Pyeonggang (Kim So Hyun), who is born into the royal family but grows up as a skilled assassin after losing everything. Determined to reclaim her rightful place, she dreams of becoming Goguryeo's first Empress.