Actor Kim Soo-hyun is facing allegations of having been in a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron since their teenage years. Following the postponement of his upcoming project 'Knock-Off,' a fan meeting in Taiwan has also been canceled.
On the 25th, Taiwan Seven-Eleven announced through its official social media that the fan meeting with actor Kim Soo-hyun, scheduled to take place during the Kaohsiung Cherry Blossom Festival on the 30th, has been canceled. The organizers plan to refund the full price of the fan meeting tickets.
In response, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, stated to OSEN, "Due to safety reasons, Mr. Kim Soo-hyun's schedule for the brand event in Taiwan has been postponed."
This is due to the recent controversy surrounding Kim Soo-hyun's private life. The family of the late Kim Sae-ron previously claimed through the YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute' (abbreviated as 'Gaseyeon') that Kim Sae-ron and the deceased had been in a relationship for six years since he was 15 years old. They also claimed that after the deceased was involved in a drunk driving accident in 2022, he faced financial difficulties due to his suspension from activities and was pressured to repay 700 million won borrowed to settle the accident.
In this context, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, remarked, "This is a blatant falsehood that cannot be overlooked" and stated, "We plan to consider the strongest legal action available against the false information disseminated by Garosero Research Institute." However, amid the flood of revelations, they changed their narrative, acknowledging that they were in a relationship from the summer of 2019, after Kim Sae-ron became an adult, until fall 2020.
They rebutted claims regarding the formal notice, stating that it was merely a process for legal procedures concerning the agency's loss handling related to Kim Sae-ron's drunk driving incident, and that they had never demanded actual repayment or collection.
As a result, the family is currently in the process of deciding to conduct a digital forensic examination of the deceased's cell phone to prove the allegations of Kim Soo-hyun's inappropriate relationship with a minor, commonly referred to as grooming allegations.
As the controversy over Kim Soo-hyun's grooming allegations grows, there has been a continued fallout in the broadcast and advertising sectors. For starters, the entertainment program 'Good Day' plans to edit out the segments featuring Kim Soo-hyun, and the upcoming Disney+ 'Knock-Off,' originally scheduled for release in April, will also be postponed.
Various companies, including Homeplus, a major supermarket where Kim Soo-hyun was a model, and the outdoor brand Eider, have ceased advertising exposure. Additionally, stores like Tous Les Jours and Jo Malone London, which were nearing the expiration of their advertising contracts, have decided not to renew. This month, Cuckoo China, which had signed an advertising model contract with Kim Soo-hyun, also issued a statement and suspended promotions.
Amid the continued fallout in the advertising sector, attention was also focused on Kim Soo-hyun's fan meeting in Taiwan. Notably, in Taiwan, police forces were even mobilized to enforce the meeting, which raises questions about the future of Kim Soo-hyun's activities.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]