"Kim Soohyun Must Return More Than 1.1 Billion Won in Modeling Fees for 'Suspended Ads'"... First-Instance Ruling

Agency: "Making a victim return modeling fees? We can't accept that."

A court has ruled that actor Kim Soohyun’s side must return more than 1.1 billion won in modeling fees to an advertiser. The ruling concerns fees paid during the period when the ads were suspended over allegations related to the late Kim Sae-ron.

According to Yonhap News on November 13, the 14th Civil Division of the Suwon District Court, presided over by Judge Moon Hyun-ho, ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff in a damages suit filed by health supplement company Frombio against Kim Soohyun’s side, ordering the defendants to pay the plaintiff more than 1.1598 billion won.

Actor Kim Soo-hyun. Reporter Kang Jinhyung

Frombio hired Kim Soohyun as an advertising model in October 2024. However, after he became embroiled in controversy over allegations that he had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, the company stopped using the ads in 2025. Claiming that damage to its brand image had caused losses, Frombio filed a lawsuit in May 2025 against Kim Soohyun and his agency, seeking 3.96 billion won in modeling fees, penalties and other damages.

The court said, “The allegations in this case prevented the defendant from maintaining a positive and trustworthy image, making it impossible to promote the product,” and ruled that Kim Soohyun’s side must return the modeling fees for the period when the ads could not be used.

However, the court found that the damage to Kim Soohyun’s image was primarily caused by a third party’s dissemination of false information, making it a force majeure event under the contract. It therefore ruled that he was not liable for penalties or other damages for breach of contract. In reaching its decision, the court considered, among other things, that Kim Se-ui, head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute, had been arrested and indicted on charges of spreading false information about Kim Soohyun in connection with the controversy.

Kim Soohyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, said, “We find it completely unacceptable that a victim of the crime of spreading false information should be required to return modeling fees,” adding, “We plan to vigorously contest this issue in the appeal.”

Meanwhile, Kim Soohyun resumed his activities in July 2026, beginning with filming an advertisement for a Philippine fashion brand. In September 2026, he appeared in public in South Korea for the first time in about a year and a half, attending the 2026 The Fact Music Awards at Busan Asiad Main Stadium as a presenter. He is also scheduled to attend the Asia Artist Awards 2026, to be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on December 5 and 6.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.