A Seoul court has temporarily halted proceedings in actor Kim Soo Hyun's high-profile damages lawsuit with a cosmetics brand until judges clarify how his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron affects the core claims in the case.
The civil suit, filed by a cosmetics company identified in Korean reports as "Brand A" and linked to VT Cosmetics, accuses Kim and his agency of breaching an advertising contract by failing to "maintain a respectful image" after allegations that he dated Kim Sae Ron when she was still a minor.
The brand initially sought around 500 million won ($334,000) in damages but later raised its claim to about 2.86 billion won ($1.9 million), saying the contract allows it to demand double the model fee plus additional losses, according to allkpop.
At the first hearing in November 2025, the Seoul Central District Court heard sharply different accounts from both sides and scheduled follow-up sessions for 2026.
According to local media summaries, the court has now decided that key issues in the cosmetics lawsuit cannot be resolved until it reviews separate disputes over Kim's relationship timeline with Kim Sae Ron and allegations made by her relatives and a YouTube channel.
Brand A argues that the dating scandal and related accusations severely damaged its image, claiming Kim's personal controversy directly undercut the "clean" and trustworthy persona the campaign required.
The company has also pointed to online speculation that Kim might have had emotional ties with Kim Sae Ron before she became an adult, even if the formal relationship began later.
Kim Soo Hyun and his agency, Goldmedalist, strongly deny any illegal or unethical conduct, insisting the relationship only began after Kim Sae Ron reached adulthood and was already a university student, the BBC reported.
They say a consensual relationship between adults cannot amount to a breach of a morality clause and accuse the brand of exploiting unproven claims and online rumors.
Goldmedalist has also rejected allegations from Kim Sae Ron's family and others that the actor ignored her financial difficulties after her drunk-driving case, stating the agency itself covered remaining compensation and never pressured her over debt.
With the cosmetics case paused, attention now shifts to ongoing "truth disputes" involving Kim, Kim Sae Ron's relatives, and content creators who raised the initial accusations.
Legal experts quoted in Korean outlets say the eventual court findings on when the relationship started and whether any defamation occurred are likely to shape the outcome of Kim's multimillion-won battle with the cosmetics brand and his future as a top-tier endorser, as per Korea JoongAng Daily.
