A Seoul court has temporarily suspended proceedings in actor Kim Soo Hyun’s high-profile damages lawsuit with a cosmetics brand until judges clarify how his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron affects the main charges in the case.
The civil suit, filed by a cosmetics company identified in Korean reports as “Brand A” and linked to VT Cosmetics, accuses Kim and her agency of violating an advertising contract by failing to “maintain a respectful image” following allegations that Kim dated Sae Ron while still a minor.
The brand initially sought damages of about 500 million won ($334,000), but later increased the demand to about 2.86 billion won ($1.9 million), saying the contract allows it to seek double the model fee plus additional losses, according to allkpop.
At the first hearing in November 2025, the Seoul Central District Court heard starkly different accounts from both sides and scheduled follow-up sessions for 2026.
According to local media reports, the court has now decided that key issues in the cosmetics case cannot be resolved until separate disputes over the history of Kim’s relationship with Kim Sae Ron and allegations made by her relatives and a YouTube channel are heard.
Brand A argues that the dating scandal and related allegations have severely damaged its image, arguing that Kim’s personal controversy has directly undermined the “clean” and trustworthy personality the campaign demands.
The company also highlighted online speculation that Kim may have had emotional ties to Kim Sae Ron before she became an adult, even if the formal relationship began later.
Kim Soo Hyun and her agency, Goldmedalist, strongly deny any illegal or unethical conduct, insisting that the relationship only began after Kim Sae Ron reached adulthood and was already a college student. BBC reported.
They say a consensual relationship between adults cannot amount to a violation of a morals clause and accuse the brand of exploiting unproven claims and online rumors.
Goldmedalist also rejected accusations by Kim Sae Ron’s family and others that the actress ignored her financial difficulties after the drunken driving case, saying the agency itself covered the remaining compensation and never pressured her about the debts.
With the cosmetics case on pause, attention now shifts to the ongoing “truth disputes” involving Kim, Kim Sae Ron’s relatives and the content creators who raised the initial allegations.
Legal experts cited by Korean media say that any court findings on when the relationship began and whether any defamation occurred will likely affect the outcome of Kim’s multimillion-dollar battle with the cosmetics brand and his future as a high-level endorser, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
