Using celebrity images to promote a brand has long been an extremely effective business strategy for many companies. The more famous the celebrity and the larger their fanbase, the more public attention is attracted — driving purchases and boosting product sales.
However, this is only legal when there is a signed agreement between the celebrity and the company. Using a celebrity’s image to promote a brand without their consent or a binding contract constitutes unauthorized use.
Despite the risk of facing legal penalties when such cases are exposed, many brands still insist on illegally using celebrity images on banners or in advertisements for their products. BTS has frequently been a victim of this practice! So, it’s not too surprising that Jungkook’s image was recently used to promote a new pet shop for which he is not a representative.
According to the кσяєαn Animal Welfare Association on the 5th, a new type of pet store, Company A, has been aggressively advertising on portal sites and using photos of celebrities who visited in order to gain public trust. They reportedly used the images of nine well-known stars, including Jungkook, in their promotional materials.
Once the issue came to light, the кσяєαn Animal Welfare Association sent official letters to each company, asking them to confirm whether they had consented to the use of their images, and to respond if they had not. BigHit Music was one of the companies that acted immediately after receiving the report. They demanded the removal of the image and issued an official statement denying that Jungkook was an ambαѕѕador for the brand.
It is known that the practice of new pet shops using celebrity images for advertising has been around for quite some time. These advertisements are often accompanied by phrases such as “no-кιℓℓ shelter,” “lifelong care facility,” “free admission,” and “free adoption.”
When you type “abandoned animals” or “adoption” into a search engine, advertisements from these businesses — not actual shelters — appear at the top of the results. The long-standing campaign slogan created by animal welfare groups and citizens, “Adopt, Don’t Shop,” is now being exploited for profit.
The problem goes far beyond misleading advertising. Animals and citizens are bearing the brunt of the harm caused by these new pet shops. People who paid large sums of money believing in the promise of “lifelong care” often struggle to confirm whether the animals are alive or ∂єα∂, and even when they complain, there is no way to resolve the issue.
The reality is even more tragic. Animals abandoned in these facilities suffer from hunger, ∂ιѕєαѕє, and even abuse or кιℓℓing. The 24 animals rescued by the кσяєαn Animal Welfare Association in 2024 also came from a company that had promised “comfortable nursing care” while charging high fees. In reality, the facilities were filthy, overcrowded, and filled with starving and sick animals. Despite this, other branches of this company continue to operate under the name “care facility.”
The кσяєαn Animal Welfare Association is calling for the swift enactment of a law banning these types of new pet shops, declaring, “Businesses that deceive both animals and people must come to an end.”
The Animal Freedom Alliance also emphasized, “We hope other celebrities who have not consented to the use of their photos will also join in refusing to promote these new pet shops,” adding, “Business practices that deceive animals and citizens must be stopped.”
