Jeong Eun-pyo blocks influencer for unauthorized use of son's photo

Actor Jeong Eun-pyo has expressed his displeasure toward an influencer who used photos and videos of himself and his son, Jung Ji-woong, for commercial promotion without permission. He revealed that although the post was deleted and an apology was received, he ultimately decided to block the account in question.

On the 12th, Jeong shared via his SNS, “A few days ago, I received a report from a subscriber,” adding, “I was told there is an influencer using videos and photos of me and Ji-woong to conduct group purchases for books.”

The problematic post reportedly used videos and photos from past television appearances of Jeong and Jung, accompanied by the caption, 'Jeong Eun-pyo's son, who only read books since childhood and eventually went to Seoul National University.' Jeong explained that the content even included descriptions that made it seem as though he himself was talking about his son's reading experience, even though he had never authorized or written the advertisement.

Jeong learned of the situation through a report from a subscriber. The informant notified him, saying, “I sent a DM after seeing an influencer selling books by citing Ji-woong,” to which Jeong replied, “Ah, thank you so much. I am a bit upset. I only found out because you contacted me. I will take action.”

He clarified that there was nothing wrong with the book itself, explaining that both he and his son actually like the book.

However, he drew a clear line, stating that liking the book is a completely different matter from the unauthorized use of his likeness and content for commercial purposes.

“While both Ji-woong and I like the book, I felt that advertising it without permission is a different issue,” Jeong stated, adding, “I left a polite comment asking them to delete it.”

The influencer subsequently deleted the post and apologized to Jeong. Jeong confirmed, “Fortunately, I received a message saying sorry and that they took it down immediately.”

However, even after receiving the apology, he blocked the account. “I blocked that person on my Instagram,” Jeong said. “I wonder if it will have any impact on them, but blocking is the best measure I can take.”

While he could have simply ended the matter with the deletion of the post, he drew a firm line against the act of using someone else's photos and videos as a tool for commercial promotion without consent.

He expressed his repeated gratitude to the informant. Jeong wrote, “Thanks to the contact, the advertised post has been taken down. It is very upsetting that someone uses another person's photos so casually. Thank you for your support.”

At the same time, he cautioned against any backlash hitting the publisher. He urged, “It is not the publisher's fault, so I hope no one holds any ill feelings toward them.”

Jeong's son, Jung Ji-woong, is currently attending Seoul National University. He previously garnered public attention for his exceptional reading habits and academic abilities through television appearances with his family.