Kim Soo-hyun Faces Escalating Legal Battle as Cosmetics Brand Raises Damages to ₩2.86 Billion
Nov 21, 2025
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At the first hearing held at the 22nd Civil Affairs Department (B) of the Seoul Central District Court on the 21st, Company A "Kim Soo-hyun's violation of his duty to maintain dignity caused enormous brand damage.", he officially expressed his intention to increase the amount of litigation claims.
It was the first legal battle held in seven months since the filing of the complaint.
Company A was scheduled to maintain an advertising contract with Kim Soo-hyun until August this year, but the contract was terminated in March when Kim Soo-hyun was embroiled in rumors of a minor relationship.
Company A took issue with the fact that Kim Soo-hyun initially denied dating but changed her position after Kim Sae-ron's death and admitted dating after adulthood, especially when rumors of their romantic relationship surfaced with a post posted by the late Kim Sae-ron on social media in February.
Company A said, "Public trust has collapsed and the brand image has been hit hard.'" It is a violation of dignity because the misunderstanding that they have been dating since they were minors is inevitable." made the case.
In addition, even if it is not a breach that occurred during the contract period "The moral hazard of the advertising model is directly linked to immediate brand damage," he stressed.
On the other hand, Kim Soo-hyun strongly refuted the claim on the same day.
Kim Soo-hyun, a legal representative, said "The allegation that they dated as minors is not true. I admit that I have dated since I became an adult, but I cannot understand how this is a violation of dignity,' he said.
And also on the question of Company A 'Madame of Love' at the time, it was before the contract itself was established"It is unreasonable to claim that it is a violation by taking issue with the explanation at the time when it is not even the contract period."
Rather, Kim Soo-hyun pointed out that even after the contract was terminated, the image of Kim Soo-hyun continued to be used on Company A's Korean and Japanese websites and in Japanese offline stores.
Company A explained that it had deleted all and the Japanese store was also taken action after requesting withdrawal.
Regarding the reason for the increase in the amount of damage, Company A explained that "the amount added to the actual damage is based on the provision that the model fee will be paid twice the amount of the contract violation.""
However, the court needs to consider whether the method is an appropriate expectation""Please specify the scope of the damage and the fact that the damage has occurred, respectively" he said.
The confrontation between Kim Soo-hyun and Company A seems to be expanding into a larger-scale legal battle than expected. According to the judgment of the court, it is expected to affect the overall advertising industry in the future.
Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun's side has completely denied allegations of past relationships with the late Kim Sae-ron, who died in February, and is taking strong legal action against YouTube channels 'Garoseo Research Center', Kim Se-eui's representative, and Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family.
Currently, the bereaved family continued to expose Kim Soo-hyun's private life by acknowledging that he and the deceased were in a relationship and maintaining their position to officially apologize. In a press conference, Kim Soo-hyun refuted that "The dating period after becoming an adult is about a year", and sued Kim Se-eui and the bereaved family of Kim Sae-ron on charges of spreading false information of defamation worth 11 billion won.
narusi@sportschosun.com
