Kim Soo Hyun has faced a major setback after allegations of dating Kim Sae Ron surfaced. The young Kdrama actress committed suicide on Kim Soo Hyun’s birthday, February 16.
Several brands have cut ties with the 37-year-old actor after the dating scandal emerged. Since he is accused of dating a minor, public outrage has intensified and they are urging brands to terminate contracts with him.
Today, March 14, Kim Soo Hyun lost Prada’s endorsement as the public backlash grows. He was appointed ambassador for the luxury brand in December and attended the brand’s Milan Fashion Week show in January. The brand terminated its contract with him 3 months after his appointment.
On Friday, an official from Prada client services announced his status as an ambassador following the scandal. They stated,
‘Considering the severity of the issue, we have decided to terminate our collaboration with actor Kim Soo Hyun by mutual agreement. The contract has been terminated. This decision was made at the headquarters level.’
As per claims made by the Garo Sero Institute, the “Queen of Tears” actor began dating Kim Sae Ron during her middle school years when she was 15. According to YT channel, they were in a romantic relationship from November 2015 to July 2021. Multiple photos, videos, handwritten letters, and interviews with family members were shared by Garo Sero.
They shared alleged text messages when the late actress begged him not to sue her for 700 million won damages. The agency paid 700 million won when she was involved in a drunk driving incident and demanded repayment by December 2023.
Additionally, the YouTube channel warned Kim Soo Hyun to come clean about the dating rumors. Otherwise, they will release three more videos and photos to prove their relationship.
After denying the dating rumors three times, his agency Gold Medalist finally admitted to dating rumors. However, they stated they began dating after Sae Ron became a legal adult.
The agency was scheduled to release a statement next week, however, shared their response to the whole controversy today as the criticism grew. They clarified that they dated from the summer of 2019, after she turned 18, to the fall of 2020.
Lastly, Kim Soo Hyun has lost over 700K followers on Instagram and 11 out of 18 brands he is associated with have terminated contracts. These brands include Homeplus, Dinto, Shinhan Bank, Cuckoo, All Days, Jo Malone London, and more.
