Kim Soo Hyun has partially lost a lawsuit filed by one of his former advertisers.
According to reports on November 13, Civil Division 14 of the Suwon District Court recently ruled partly in favor of FromBio, a health supplement company that sued Kim Soo Hyun and others for damages. The court ordered the defendants to jointly pay FromBio 1,159,894,000 won (about 1.16 billion won, or roughly US$870,000) plus late-payment interest.
Kim Soo Hyun
Interest on the damages was set at 5% per year from October 13, 2021, to November 11, 2026, and 12% per year from the following day until the amount is paid in full. FromBio was ordered to cover 70% of the legal costs, and the defendants the remaining 30%.
FromBio hired Kim Soo Hyun as a brand ambassador in 2024. After controversy over his private life spread, the company claimed the damage to its brand image caused it heavy losses and filed the suit on May 16 last year. The controversy began with allegations that Kim Soo Hyun had dated the late actress Kim Sae Ron since she was a minor. Kim Soo Hyun's side has denied dating her while she was a minor, maintaining that the relationship began after she became an adult.
The key issue at trial was whether the controversy amounted to a breach of the "duty to maintain dignity" clause in the advertising contract. Kim Soo Hyun's side argued that unverified allegations and speculative reports alone could not establish a breach of contract, but the court partially accepted the advertiser's claim.
 to Advertiser Over Breach of Dignity Clause){kind=link}