Actor Kim Soo-hyun once again denied allegations that he dated the late Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor in a damages lawsuit ongoing with cosmetics brand A.
On the 13th, the 22nd Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the second hearing in a lawsuit in which cosmetics brand A sued Kim Soo-hyun and his agency Gold Medalist for about 2.8 billion won in damages.
On that day, the court organized the related matters to confirm the case progress with the newly assigned panel and decided to continue the trial to the next date.
The central issue in this lawsuit is whether Kim Soo-hyun violated his duty to maintain dignity as an advertising model. A said that because the relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron became controversial, it could not continue the model contract and suffered damages as a result, and has filed for compensation.
A argued that Kim Soo-hyun's past denials of a romantic relationship with Kim Sae-ron were problematic, and said, "The claim that they dated after becoming adults can also be seen as a continuation of a relationship that began during minority."
On the other hand, Kim Soo-hyun's side again emphasized that the allegation of dating during minority is not true. Kim Soo-hyun's side said, "The actual relationship took place after the other party became an adult," and rebutted, "A rumor whose truth has not been verified cannot be a reason for contract termination, and it is hard to accept how a relationship between adults violates the duty to maintain dignity."
Kim Soo-hyun's side also argued, based on contract provisions, that unverified rumors or gossip cannot be grounds for contract termination.
The court said it believes the outcome of a defamation complaint filed against the operator of the YouTube channel "Garosero Research Institute" could affect its legal determinations on the issue, and indicated it would monitor the progress of that criminal case before proceeding with substantive judgment.
Earlier, Garosero Research Institute and the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron claimed the two had dated for about six years starting from their minority, sparking controversy. In response, Kim Soo-hyun said at a press conference that he admitted to dating Kim Sae-ron after she became an adult but denied dating her during her minority.
Both sides are currently continuing legal battles over the matter.
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]