In the entertainment industry, there’s a prevailing prediction that Ryu Jun-yeol’s transit love issue might lead to a decrease in Han So-hee’s advertisements. As of now, half is true, half remains to be seen. Interestingly, Han So-hee, who was previously the model for “Chum-Churum Soju” and “NH Nonghyup Bank”, coincidentally ended her contracts in early March before the transit love issue arose. Speculation arose questioning whether she was “pushed out”.
Considering that it’s common for models and their agencies to prefer contract renewals, such speculation isn’t entirely unfounded. This is further supported by the fact that “Chum-Churum” signed long-term contracts with Lee Hyori, Suzy for 5 years each, and Jennie for 2 years. However, the agency 9ATO of Han So-hee, who was replaced after just one year, cautioned against overinterpretation, stating, “It’s merely the expiration of the contract and unrelated to Han So-hee’s personal life.”
Even the used car trading platform “Hey Dealer”, which featured Han So-hee as its model, faced difficulties at one point due to having to filter YouTube comments due to malicious comments. Because of this situation, there’s speculation that Hey Dealer might also consider replacing Han So-hee.
In relation to this, a representative from Cheil Worldwide, which handles Hey Dealer, said, “Currently, we are not considering anything.” It’s rumored that the owner of Hey Dealer is a fan of Han So-hee, and the reason the advertisement concept was shot in a luxurious and cinematic style was also due to affection as a fan.
Another agency employee stated during a phone call on March 27th, “Han So-hee maintains over 20 advertisements, excluding luxury brands, and receives the highest model fee in Korea. It’s estimated to be around 1.3 billion won annually.” Han So-hee is on par with Jun Ji-hyun, whose topicality leads to sales, making her the most preferred model by companies. These days, a model rising threateningly enough to challenge Han So-hee and Jun Ji-hyun is Go Youn-jung.
This person added, “Han So-hee may have lost something due to her dating issue, but she won’t easily relinquish her position as the advertising queen. Just like Han Ga-in, who actively appears on variety shows these days, actresses need a certain level of TV exposure and traffic to maintain advertisements, so Han So-hee also needs to expedite her acting career.”
