Court orders plastic surgeon to compensate for publishing patient's photos

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court ordered a plastic surgeon to pay 10 million won (US$ 9,234) in compensation to a patient whose photos he published in magazines as an example of successful plastic surgery, court officials said Friday. The patient, whose identity was not immediately available, had filed for 50 million won in damages, claiming the clinic had used her photos without her permission and violated her portrait rights. The doctor, whose identity was also withheld, refuted the claim, saying it was difficult to recognize the person in the photos and that he had no intention to offend the patient. The published photos covered the patient's eyes but showed the rest of her face before and after nose surgery. The surgeon allegedly also used the photos while consulting other patients and mounted them on the clinic's billboards. The Seoul Central District Court said using the photos in this way without permission is a violation of the patient's portrait rights and ordered the surgeon to compensate for mental damage.