Taiwanese actor Kai Ko faces endorsement pull-outs from about 19 companies and requested to pay a total of NT$50 million in damages following his 14-day detemtion in Beijing for drug use.

The 23-year old actor rose to fame in 2011 for his role in the film, "You Are the Apple of My Eye," where he won the Best New Performer award at the Golden Horse film awards in Taiwan which is considered, the most prestigious in Chinese-language cinema. 

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Ko also made a name when he played the role of the boyfriend of one of the protagonists in, "Tiny Times 3.0," a China-produced film that earned a huge hit with the young female audiences, knocking off the "Transformers 4" from the No.1 spot in the mainland's box office.

However, his reputation was tainted when he got involved in a drug bust with his good friend Jaycee Chan which resulted to the pulling-out of commercial endorsement deals with 19 companies; some of which who had to remove their Ads are asking for compensation.

Other companies such as the Adidas and KFC may not require any compensation since Kos contract with them have either expired or about to expire. While there are those who are still awaiting further developments.

According to media reports, brands including NIVEA Men and a chewing gum company called Stride are demanding for reimbursement. It has been estimated that Ko has to pay double the amount currently being asked from him if another third of the endorsers were to demand for it.

On the other hand, there are those companies who are still monitoring the actor's situation and are passing judgment against Ko until further discussions are made.

In response to this, Ko's manager, Angie Chai, stated that the actor and his managing company will be bearing the costs, saying, "We will go through the hard times together."

But since Ko is not yet in a good condition, Chai have yet to discuss whether he will be paying for the entire compensation.

As to reports that Ko would be banned by the Chinese media industry, it seems to be far from happening since the movies, 'A Choo' and 'Tiny Times 4' where the actor stars in, will be released based on initial plans.

Instead of further tarnishing his image, authorities praised the young actor for his courage to admit the mistakes he did and even called him a good role model.

TagsKai Ko