As actor Kim Soo-hyun becomes embroiled in a billion-won defamation-related damages lawsuit, a shocking situation has unfolded with an advertiser seizing his residence, sparking significant controversy.
According to legal circles, last month, the company CLASSYS filed for a provisional seizure of Kim Soo-hyun’s Galleria Forêt apartment in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, valued at approximately ₩3 billion. The Seoul Eastern District Court accepted the request. The main reasons cited were contract termination and penalty claims.
In response, Kim Soo-hyun’s side told OSEN, “It’s true that a provisional seizure was executed, and it appears the advertiser filed for penalties based on contract clauses. This has led to secondary victimization of Kim Soo-hyun, who is already a victim.” They emphasized “There’s a possibility that manipulated KakaoTalk messages or audio recordings created by the YouTube channel ‘Garo Sero Institute’ were used in the legal process”, expressing frustration.
Kim Soo-hyun’s fandom immediately pushed back against CLASSYS’ actions. Fans argued, “The advertiser is using the contract as an excuse to unlawfully disclose the actor’s personal information and has even seized his property—this is clearly secondary harm to an innocent victim.” They continued, “If no official statement is released, we will launch a full boycott against all brands and products associated with them.”
Kim Soo-hyun reportedly purchased his Galleria Forêt apartment in 2013 for around ₩4 billion, and it’s now valued at approximately ₩13.5 billion. He is also known to own several other luxury properties.
Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun is locked in a major legal battle with the YouTube channel “Garo Sero Institute”, which accused him of having had an inappropriate relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron during her underage years. Since March, “Garo Sero Institute” has been quoting the late Kim’s family, claiming Kim Soo-hyun dated her inappropriately from her teenage years. However, Kim’s side has refuted this, stating the two dated only from the summer of 2019 (after she became an adult) to the fall of 2020.
Ultimately, Kim Soo-hyun filed complaints against Garo Sero Institute figurehead Kim Se-ui and Kim Sae-ron’s family for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. He has also filed a ₩12 billion damages lawsuit. It was reported that on June 9, the court accepted the provisional seizure of two properties under Kim Se-ui’s name. The creditor is Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist.
Regarding this, Kim Soo-hyun’s side explained, “There are several provisional seizure cases. First, there is the seizure of Garo Sero Institute’s sponsorship account, which was carried out on May 20. In that case, Kim Soo-hyun and Gold Medalist are co-creditors. Then, on June 9, Kim Se-ui’s home was seized, with Gold Medalist as the creditor.”
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