Swiss watchmaker MIDO has lost a lawsuit against Gold Medalist, the agency representing actor Kim Soo Hyun, over the return of advertising fees.
Star News reported on August 27th that the 13th Civil Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court dismissed MIDO’s lawsuit seeking the return of approximately 570 million won ($413,000) in advertising fees from Gold Medalist.
MIDO first signed Kim Soo Hyun as an advertising model in 2020 and renewed the contract each year. In November 2024, MIDO paid 900 million won ($652,000) in contract fees to extend the deal for another year. However, after controversies surrounding Kim Soo Hyun emerged, MIDO terminated the contract and sought a partial refund for the remaining period.
MIDO argued that Kim Soo Hyun’s commercial value had been damaged by the controversy, making the contract termination valid and warranting a prorated refund of the contract fees. Gold Medalist countered that the controversy was based on false claims made by a third party and was not caused by any wrongdoing on Kim Soo Hyun’s part.
The court sided with Gold Medalist and dismissed MIDO’s claim, reportedly finding that there were insufficient grounds to terminate the contract.
Kim Soo Hyun is also reportedly facing other legal disputes with advertisers, including Eider, FromBIO, Classys, Cuckoo Electronics and Trend Maker, involving more than 10 billion won ($7.2 million) in total damages and contract fee claims. The latest ruling could potentially affect those ongoing disputes.
Kim Soo Hyun has faced controversy over allegations that he dated the late actress Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor. Since March 2025, Kim Se Eui, the head of the YouTube channel Hover Lab, has repeatedly claimed that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron and was responsible for her death.
The controversy led Disney Plus to postpone the release of Knock Off, a series starring Kim Soo Hyun. Kim Se Eui also held a press conference on behalf of Kim Sae Ron’s family, where he released an audio recording allegedly featuring the late actress and what he claimed were KakaoTalk conversations between her and Kim Soo Hyun.
Investigators later determined that the audio recording had been manipulated using AI and that the alleged KakaoTalk conversations between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron had also been fabricated.
On June 23rd, prosecutors arrested and indicted Kim Se Eui on multiple charges, including defamation through false claims, violating laws related to the distribution of sexually explicit material, intimidation and attempted coercion.
Separately, Kim Soo Hyun was cleared of charges including child abuse under the Child Welfare Act on July 29th, when prosecutors decided not to indict him.
Kim Soo Hyun has recently begun resuming his public activities. He attended Mahakarya RCTI 37, a special event in Jakarta celebrating the 37th anniversary of Indonesian broadcaster RCTI.
>> Kim Soo Hyun Dropped from Chinese Ads Just 20 Days After Signing Deal Amid Allegations
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