Court orders 'My Dearest' screenwriter to return W350m for not fulfilling obligations

MBC drama 'My Dearest' (MBC)

Screenwriter Hwang Jin-young, best known for writing hit MBC drama "My Dearest," has been ordered to repay 350 million won ($254,000) for failing to fulfill her contractual obligations with a local drama producer, according to a local media report Sunday.

The Seoul Western District Court recently ruled in favor of the production company in a lawsuit filed against Hwang, which sought the return of advance payments for a planned 20-episode series, The Herald Business reported. The court ruled that Hwang failed to deliver the agreed number of scripts and ordered her to return the full amount to the firm.

In August 2017, the production company and Hwang signed a contract for a drama script. Under the agreement, Hwang was to write and deliver the script for a 20-episode series. Her fee was set at 35 million won per episode, totaling 700 million won. The company paid Hwang half of that amount — 350 million won — as an advance.

The contract stated that the period should be five years from the date of signing, and it should end once the 20 episodes are completed.

However, at the time, Hwang was already under an exclusive writing contract for the MBC drama “My Dearest,” which prohibited her from working on other projects between July 2014 and December 2019.

Hwang submitted the initial draft to the production company only a year after the contract was signed. When the firm expressed negative feedback, Hwang allegedly made no effort to revise the script.

The legal dispute began nearly six years later. In August 2023, the firm urged Hwang to fulfill her obligations under the scriptwriting contract. However, Hwang argued that the contract period had already ended, and therefore the agreement was no longer valid. She also claimed she had no obligation to return the contract payment and had no intention of completing the script.

The company filed a lawsuit around February 2024, stating, “Hwang not only failed to fulfill her writing obligations but also unjustifiably refused to do so.”

In its initial ruling, the court stated, “It is highly questionable whether Hwang ever had the intention to faithfully fulfill the scriptwriting contract in this case.”

Hwang has appealed the decision, and the case will be heard in the Seoul High Court before a ruling is finalized.