S. Korean singer to sue over use of song in 'The Interview'

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- The management agency of South Korean pop singer Yoon Mi-rae said Friday that it will take legal action against Sony Pictures Entertainment for allegedly using one of her songs in a controversial movie without permission.

"The Interview," a comedy about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, hit about 320 theaters in the United States on Thursday. The film has drawn huge attention at home and abroad due to a cyber attack blamed on North Korea and threats against its release.

"We came to know that 'Pay Day,' a track from Yoon's third studio album (2007), was used for the film 'The Interview,' only after it was released," her management agency Feelgood Music said.

"We initially received an offer to insert the song, but discussions were on hiatus on some points. Sony Pictures Entertainment used the music without due procedure or contract," it claimed.

Part of the refrain of Yoon's song, "Yell louder, Yell louder, yell louder," was inserted in a scene in which Kim drinks and play billiards with women in lingerie and an American talk-how host who came to interview him, according to the management agency.

sshim@yna.co.kr
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