Recently, Civil Court No. 45 of the Seoul Central District Court opened the second hearing related to the lawsuit between Eider and Kim Soo Hyun and the management company Gold Medalist.
Previously, in August 2025, Eider sued the actor after allegations appeared that he had a romantic relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron since she was a minor.
This brand believes that the controversial information has negatively affected the business image, thereby requesting Kim Soo Hyun and the management company to compensate 2.5 billion won.
However, at the latest hearing, Eider's side significantly changed the lawsuit request. Specifically, this brand withdrew the claim related to damage to reputation and image, and reduced the claim to about 400 million won (about 264,000 USD). This amount is said to be the remaining model fee under the advertising contract that Eider wants to recover.
According to information announced at the trial, the panel of judges believes that the adjustment of the request may reflect a change in the legal strategy of the plaintiff, when the basis for requesting compensation for damage to reputation is no longer as convincing as initially.
The judges also questioned the feasibility of the amendment request, and suggested that Eider consider withdrawing the lawsuit, keeping the terms in the contract and letting each party bear the legal costs themselves.
This development is considered a notable turning point in the series of legal disputes that Kim Soo Hyun is facing.
This is also the first time a brand that once requested billions of won in compensation has decided to narrow its request after YouTuber Kim Se Ui - who publicly made accusations against the actor - was arrested by authorities.
Meanwhile, the outcome of the lawsuit between Eider and the actor is said to create a precedent, affecting the handling of similar lawsuits in the near future. To date, the related disputes are still in the process of being resolved in court and there has been no final ruling.
Debuting in 2007, Kim Soo Hyun is one of the leading Korean stars with a series of hits such as "Dream High", "Moon Embracing the Sun", "Crazy with a Star" and "Queen of Tears" (2024).
However, the scandals that broke out in 2025 have significantly affected the image that the actor painstakingly built over many years.
After being exonerated and YouTuber Kim Se Ui - the person who spread the fake news - was arrested, Kim Soo Hyun is still involved in many other civil lawsuits from advertising partners, with a total compensation claim estimated at about 10 billion won (equivalent to 6.6 million USD).
