Actor Kim Soo Hyun may have to pay a huge fine of up to $13.8 million for violating advertising contracts following allegations of his relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron. A series of major brands have ended their cooperation with him.
How many advertising contracts did Kim Soo Hyun lose after the scandal?
Kim Soo Hyun is currently the representative face of about 15 major brands, including Shinhan Bank, Prada, Homeplus and Dinto… However, after the scandal involving Kim Sae Ron broke out, many brands quickly removed his image from media platforms.
Eider and Shavolde have removed all content related to Kim Soo Hyun from their websites and social media. Meanwhile, Dinto has announced that it will suspend all promotional plans involving the actor. This could cause him to lose a series of lucrative contracts and face heavy contractual penalties.
How much contract penalty could Kim Soo Hyun have to pay?
According to a report from Munhwa, industry experts estimate Kim Soo Hyun’s advertising fees to range from 700 million KRW (approximately $483,000) to 1 billion KRW (approximately $690,000) per year for one brand.
According to the rules, if a brand ambassador gets involved in a scandal during the term of their contract, they have to pay 2 to 3 times the amount of compensation they signed. With about 15 brands working with him, Kim Soo Hyun could face a fine of up to 20 billion KRW (equivalent to 13.8 million USD). This is an extremely large number even for an A-list star like him.
What will be the future of Kim Soo Hyun?
In March 2025, allegations about the relationship between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron shocked the public. According to the accusation of Kim Sae Ron’s aunt on the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, the actor is said to have dated Kim Sae Ron when she was only 15 years old, while he was 27 years old.
The aunt also claimed that the relationship lasted for 6 years and hinted that this was one of the reasons that led to Kim Sae Ron’s tragic death. These accusations caused Kim Soo Hyun to face a wave of fierce criticism and had a heavy impact on his career.
With a huge contract penalty and a wave of boycotts from the public, Kim Soo Hyun may have great difficulty maintaining his reputation and career. If brands continue to cut ties, he may lose his main source of income from advertising, one of the important areas that helps maintain his position in the entertainment industry.
However, many questions remain unanswered, including how the actor will respond to the allegations, and whether he can salvage his career after this scandal. Korean netizens and media will certainly continue to closely follow the latest developments.
