According to YTN Star, information from the legal community said that on April 28, companies A and B with advertising contracts with Kim Soo Hyun filed a lawsuit against the actor and his agency Gold Medalist, demanding the return of the model's remuneration and compensation for damages.
The total amount of litigation between the two companies is about 3 billion won.
In addition to the two companies that have filed the lawsuit, other advertisers are also expected to participate in the lawsuit.
Company C is considering terminating an advertising contract with Kim Soo Hyun due to damage to trust and filing a lawsuit to request a refund for the advertising model or contract fine.
Entertainment lawyer Park Sung Woo from Woori Law Firm explained: In the industry, it is known that Kim Soo Hyun has signed advertising contracts with about 15 brands, and the modeling fee for each domestic contract is reported to be worth about 1 to 1.2 billion won.
Usually, advertisers tend not to want people to know that they are the first to file a lawsuit against a model. However, once the news of the lawsuit appears, it is likely that many other advertisers will follow.
YTN Star predicts that the compensation claim related to the lawsuits could reach more than 10 billion won.
Last month, Kim Soo Hyun became the focus of controversy amid allegations that he had dated Kim Sae Ron for 6 years, since she was a minor (2015-2021). Kim Soo Hyun and her management company were also accused of forcing the actress to pay off debts at a time when she was struggling financially.
In response, Kim Soo Hyun held an emergency press conference on March 31 and strongly denied the allegations, stating that he had filed a defamation lawsuit against the family of Kim Sae Ron, the operator of YouTube channel Garosero and Kim Sae Ron's aunt, demanding 12 billion won in damages.
As the controversy has increased, the release of Disney+'s new series "Knock-off", starring Kim Soo Hyun, has also been postponed indefinitely.
