Dinto Terminates Model Contract with Kim Soo-hyun Despite Agency’s Clarification
On March 15, Dinto announced through its official SNS, “We have decided to terminate our advertising model contract with Kim Soo-hyun.” Kim Soo-hyun initially signed a one-year contract with Dinto, which was set to last until August 2025.
Dinto explained that, as a partner brand, they felt it was necessary to uphold the principle of good faith in contractual agreements. “Before Kim Soo-hyun and his agency made an official statement, it was difficult for us to immediately announce our stance or terminate the contract. However, after reviewing the agency’s official statement released yesterday, we determined that there were significant reasons making it impossible to continue fulfilling the advertising contract.”
Dinto further emphasized, “We are now officially proceeding with the contract termination through legal counsel. This decision was made to protect the values that Dinto upholds and to maintain consumer trust. Moving forward, we will continue making responsible and meaningful decisions that align with our brand’s mission.”
Dinto follows luxury brand Prada, which recently ended its ambassador contract with Kim Soo-hyun. Additionally, CJ Foodville, which signed him as a model for Tous Les Jours, decided not to renew his contract. Eider, Shabu All Day and Homeplus have removed all promotional content featuring Kim Soo-hyun from their official channels.
Kim Soo-hyun has been facing allegations of dating the late Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor.
Amid recent allegations regarding actor Kim Soo-hyun’s past relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron, a TikTok account impersonating Kim has surfaced, seeking financial support from fans. This account features posts requesting monetary assistance and displays logos of brands Kim is associated with, marking certain companies with an ‘X’ to suggest terminated contracts. The account’s authenticity is questionable due to awkward translation and the inclusion of Chinese characters, leading to suspicions of fraudulent intent targeting Kim’s substantial fanbase in Chinese-speaking regions.
Initially, his agency denied the relationship entirely but later revised its stance in a statement on March 13, saying, “Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron dated from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020, after Kim Sae-ron had reached adulthood. The claim that they were in a relationship when she was a minor is not true.”
