According to the industry on March 12, Kim Soo-hyun is serving as an advertising model for 16 companies, including Eider, Shabu All Day, Dinto, Homeplus, Shinhan Bank, Tous Les Jours, Cuckoo, Prada, Jo Malone London and others.
With his recent involvement in personal controversies, the advertising industry has been thrown into turmoil.
Brands like K2 Korea and Shabu All Day have removed all images of Kim Soo-hyun from their platforms due to concerns over damage to their brand image. Cosmetics company Dinto has put all schedules related to him on hold. The CEO of Dinto stated, “All employees have been verifying the facts and discussing the appropriate response. Currently, all planned schedules involving Kim Soo-hyun are suspended.”
CJ Foodville, which signed Kim Soo-hyun as the model for Tous Les Jours in September last year, will probably not renew his contract when it expires at the end of this month.
High-Endorsement Fees Lead to Large Penalty Fees
Kim Soo-hyun has earned top-tier endorsement fees, leveraging his popularity in China and Southeast Asia. After the success of the 2012 drama “My Love from the Star”, his estimated annual advertising revenue reportedly reached 50 billion won. At the time, his annual model fee was around 1 billion won. Although his momentum slowed due to military service, he remains one of the highest-paid models.
In the 2025 January Brand Reputation Index released by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, Kim Soo-hyun ranked 8th, following Byeon Woo-seok, Son Heung-min, Lim Young-woong, aespa, Cha Eun-woo, BTS and BLACKPINK. Given that Cha Eun-woo’s endorsement fee ranges between 700 million and 1 billion won per year, Kim Soo-hyun’s fee is expected to be at a similar or slightly lower level.
Since his endorsement fees are high, the potential penalty fees are also expected to be substantial. While exact figures are unknown due to confidentiality clauses, advertising contracts typically include provisions that require the payment of 2~3 times the advertising fee in case of legal violations or social controversies.
If Kim Soo-hyun’s annual endorsement fee is estimated at 500 million won per contract, his total penalty fees could range between 16 billion and 24 billion won.
There have been previous cases where celebrities paid penalty fees for violating morality clauses. In 2014, comedian Lee Soo-geun was sued for 2 billion won in damages by automotive product company Bullsone after being convicted of illegal gambling. A court ultimately ruled that he had to pay 700 million won—280% of his 250-million-won modeling fee.
Similarly, in 2012, girl group T-ara, embroiled in bullying controversies, was sued by fashion brand Chatelaine, which had them as endorsement models. Their agency admitted fault and paid a penalty fee of 400 million won, double the original endorsement fee. Actress Kim Min-hee, who was involved in an affair scandal with director Hong Sang-soo, also reportedly paid hundreds of millions of won in penalty fees to a cosmetics company she was modeling for.
Despite Affectionate Photos, Agency Denies Dating Rumors
Kim Sae-ron’s family has claimed through YouTube and other media that she had an inappropriate relationship with Kim Soo-hyun since 2015, when she was still a minor. On March 12, they released a letter allegedly sent by Kim Soo-hyun during his military service in 2018, along with photos showing the two engaging in physical affection.
In Korea, sexual activity between an adult and a minor under 16 is considered negligent rape, regardless of consent, and is punishable by at least three years in prison. However, in 2015, when Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron allegedly started dating, the age threshold for negligent rape was 13, meaning he would not be subject to prosecution even if sexual activity had occurred.
Gold Medalist, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, has strongly denied the allegations. When Garo Sero Institute shared the claims from Kim Sae-ron’s relatives on March 10, Gold Medalist responded, “These are entirely false accusations that cannot be overlooked. We are considering taking the strongest possible legal action against Garo Sero Institute for spreading false information.”