Kim Soo Hyun and Jo Bo Ah's Knock Off gets postponed amid Kim Sae Ron dating row; production team confirms

Thriller drama Knock Off has been put on hold following backlash against its lead, Kim Soo Hyun, over his minor dating scandal. Read on for more details.

By Peuli Bakshi

Updated on Mar 22, 2025 | 01:29 PM IST | 53.8K

Kim Soo Hyun, Jo Bo Ah: courtesy of Disney+ Twitter

Actor Kim Soo Hyun's upcoming Disney+ release has been postponed for an indefinite period of time, as reported by K-media outlet OSEN on March 21. On the afternoon of the same day, a Disney+ representative revealed the update to OSEN. The decision was based on the lead actor of the drama being embroiled in heavy public backlash following the allegations of dating the late Kim Sae Ron for six years, since 2015, when she was a 15-year-old minor and he was 27.

Regarding the future of Kim Soo Hyun's thriller series with co-star Jo Bo Ah, the Disney+ official said, "After careful review, we have decided to put on hold the plan to release Knock Off." This decision might be based on numerous fans 'taking to social media to express their decision to boycott the upcoming project due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the lead actor. The drama producers might choose to delay the release until the controversy surrounding its lead subsides to minimize potential financial losses.

While Disney+ never confirmed an April release for the high-budget project, it was expected to follow Park Eun Bin-Sul Kyung Gu's Hyper Knife in the streaming lineup, following its final episode's airing on April 9. However, the plan was put on hold when the controversy surrounding Kim Sae Ron escalated. Despite internal preparations for a premiere date declaration and press conference and other promotional schedules being nearly complete, Knock Off's release had to be pushed back.

The issue negatively impacted Jo Bo Ah's career as well, for whom this series was supposed to be her first work post-wedding. She was to make a comeback after two years with this massive 60 billion KRW (45 million USD) production budget project. Knock Off follows an ordinary man's journey to being the king of the global counterfeit market after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, facing his ex-girlfriend, a special judicial officer, in the process.

Jo Bo Ah got married to her longtime non-celebrity boyfriend in October of last year and filmed two projects—Knock Off and Tangum after that. If the former is postponed for an indefinite period, the latter Netflix release will be her first post-hiatus series. She last appeared in JTBC’s Destined with You, also starring Rowoon, which concluded in October 2023.