The face of Korea’s 100 won coin -- which shows a portrait of legendary Navy Adm. Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) from the Joseon era -- will be maintained, after a court sided with the Bank of Korea in a copyright lawsuit.

The Seoul Central District Court confirmed a ruling Friday that the Bank of Korea has the right to use the portrait image of Yi, which was created by the late painter Jang Wu-seong, the BOK said.

Jang’s bereaved family filed a lawsuit on Oct. 9 against the Bank of Korea, requesting royalties from the central bank for imprinting Jang’s painting of Yi on the 100 won coin for the past 40 years, dating to the 1980s.

In 1975, the central bank paid Jang a sum of 1.5 million won -- roughly $3,100 at the time -- for the right to use his painting for the coin. The amount would be the equivalent of some 17 million won ($12,600) now.

Jang’s family, however, claimed the estate should receive further royalties from the central bank for use of the painting’s image on the 100 won coin.

The court took the BOK's side, seeing that it had secured the right to use the image by purchasing the copyright from Jang.

Jang’s painting of Yi was designated as an official portrait of the admiral by the government in 1973. The following year, the BOK requested Jang to create a new version of the portrait to use the image to issue currency. The official issuance of the 100 won with Yi’s painting on the front began in 1983.

• ·Seoul anticipates 3
• ·[Korea Beyond Korea] From history and K
• ·Decoding Korea's 'virtuous' drinking culture
• ·LG Energy Solution debuts new battery
• ·Yoon orders increased defense of public digital infrastructure
• ·Davichi to return with new single next month
• ·N. Korean envoy rejects report on Hamas using N. Korean arms as 'groundless'
• ·HDC to spur digital innovation for efficiency, safety
• ·German envoy calls for enhanced security cooperation with S. Korea
• ·N. Korean envoy rejects report on Hamas using N. Korean arms as 'groundless'
• ·협치 첫 단추 ‘현수막 난립방지법’ 소위 통과
• ·‘北 정찰위성 3차 발사’ 질문에 美 국방부 “계속 모니터링”
• ·Seoul anticipates 3
• ·협치 첫 단추 ‘현수막 난립방지법’ 소위 통과
• ·협치 첫 단추 ‘현수막 난립방지법’ 소위 통과
• ·In early 2029, Earth will likely breach key warming threshold: scientists