Will Kim Soo Hyun face 20 billion KRW brand penalty amid Kim Sae Ron dating scandal? Actor's finances sense trouble

Brands associated with Kim Soo Hyun are reconsidering their partnerships with the actor amid the dating controversy surrounding him and the late actress Kim Sae Ron.

By Peuli Bakshi

Updated on Mar 13, 2025 | 12:55 PM IST | 114.5K

Kim Soo Hyun: courtesy of GOLDMEDALIST

Kim Soo Hyun is facing massive backlash for allegedly dating Kim Sae Ron when he was 27 and she was just 15. Amid the news, several brands have removed their advertisements featuring the actor and halted their future activities with him for an indefinite period. As per March 13 reports of K-media N Entertainment, the actor is estimated to incur a loss of around 20 billion KRW if his contracts get terminated with the brands.

The 37-year-old actor was reportedly serving as a model for 16 companies, including Eider, Shabu Old Day, Dinto, Homeplus, Shinhan Bank, Tour les Jours, Cuckoo, Prada, and Jo Malone London. K2 Korea and Shabu Old Day removed Kim Soo Hyun's photos from their channels, citing concerns about potential damage to their brand image. K-beauty brand Dinto put all schedules related to the actor on hold. Additionally, CJ Foodville decided not to renew Kim Soo Hyun's contract as the model for Tous Les Jours, which is set to expire at the end of this month.

As per N Entertainment, Kim Soo Hyun's annual modeling fee is around 500 million KRW. Since the amount is humongous, the penalty to be paid in case of contract termination will be even more. Usually, the amount of liquidated damages is about 2 to 3 times the modelling fee, and in Kim Soo Hyun's case, the estimated amount is 16-24 billion won. To substantiate the claim, the report cited examples from past cases of Korean celebrities like comedian Lee Soo Geun and actress Kim Min Hee, who had to pay millions of won in penalty fees to their respective collaborative brands.

Talking about Kim Soo Hyun's brand value, he secured the 8th spot in the 2025 January Brand Reputation Index, released by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute. He trailed behind Byeon Woo Seok, Son Heung Min, Lim Young Woong, aespa, Cha Eun Woo, BTS and BLACKPINK. Notably, Cha Eun Woo's yearly endorsement fee falls within the 700 million to 1 billion KRW range, which might be a rough estimate for Kim Soo Hyun's fee as well, possibly at a similar or slightly lower level.

Disclaimer: All amounts mentioned in the article are sourced from public platforms. In some cases, celebrities or their teams give their input too, which we incorporate if provided by them. We take all efforts to share possible accurate numbers, however unless otherwise mentioned they are all approximates. We are open to feedback and suggestions on editorial@pinkvilla.com.