Isa-isa nang nagsisi-atrasan ang mga global brand at kumpanyang ineendorso ng South Korean superstar na si Kim Soo Hyun.
Ito'y sa gitna ng kontrobersiya matapos maisapubliko ang lihim na relasyon noon ng aktor sa namayapang aktres na si Kim Sae Ron.
Read: South Korean actress Kim Sae Ron passes away at 24
Sa kasalukuyan ay mayroong mahigit 18 brand deals si Kim Soo Hyun.
Nitong Sabado, March 15, 2025, halos magkasunod na inanunsyo ng Italian-fashion luxury brand na Prada at Seoul-based cosmetics brand na DINTO ang pag-terminate nila sa endorsement contract ni Kim Soo Hyun bilang kanilang ambassador.
Narito ang pahayag ng Prada, ayon sa ulat ng Soompi.com:
"In consideration of the gravity of the issue, we have mutually agreed to terminate our contract with actor Kim Soo Hyun.
"This decision was made at the headquarters level, and as of now, we can confirm that the contract has been terminated."
Dahil din sa kontrobersiyang kinakasangkutan ni Kim Soo Hyun, nagdesisyon ang DINTO na i-terminate ang kanyang kontrata, kahit na ito ay hanggang sa August 2025 pa bago matapos.
Ayon sa DINTO, masusi nilang sinuri ang sitwasyon.
Mababasa sa kanilang pahayag (base sa kanilang Instagram post):
"DINTO has decided to terminate its advertising model contract with Kim Soo Hyun. Regarding the recent controversy, as a partner in both business relations and contractual agreements, we believed it was appropriate to uphold the principle of good faith.
"Therefore, until Kim Soo Hyun and his agency had the opportunity to express their position, it was not feasible for us to issue an official statement or proceed with the immediate termination of the contract.
"For reference, DINTO’s contract with Kim Soo Hyun was signed for one year and was set to remain valid until August 2025.
"After reviewing the statement issued by his agency yesterday, we have determined that there are substantial grounds rendering the fulfillment of the advertising contract unfeasible.
"Accordingly, we are officially proceeding with the termination process through our legal representatives.
"This decision was made to uphold the values that DINTO stands for and to honor the trust placed in us by our consumers.
"Going forward, we remain committed to making responsible and prudent decisions that align with our brand philosophy and consumer expectations, while also focusing on meaningful projects that create lasting value. Thank you."
Read: Kim Soo Hyun faces backlash for dating rumors with Kim Sae Ron
Other brands pull out KIM SOO HYUN'S POSTER AND ADS
Maliban sa Prada at DINTO, isa-isa na ring tinanggal ng iba pang brands na ineendorso ni Kim Soo Hyun ang kanilang promotional materials sa social media na naroon ang aktor.
Noong March 13 ay hindi na makikita sa social media page ng bakery chain na Tous les Jous ang advertisement ni Kim Soo Hyun.
Deleted na rin ang mga promotional material ni Kim Soo Hyun sa social media pages ng French clothing brand na Eider.
Maging sa Korean discount store retail chain na Homeplus at K2 Korea Group.
KIM SOO HYUN'S CONTROVERSY
Simula noong March 10 usap-usapan na online ang koneksyon ni Kim Soo Hyun sa biglaang pagkamatay ni Kim Sae Ron dahil sa pagkakaroon nito ng relasyon sa aktres.
Nagsimula ito nang isiwalat ng Garosero Research Institute ang pagkakaroon ng relasyon ni Kim Soo Hyun kay Kim Sae Ron na labis na ikinagulat ng publiko.
Ang Garosero Research Institute ay isang independent media platform sa South Korea na nakilala sa pagiging "whistleblower" o nagbubulgar ng mga pinakatatagong eskandalo sa mundo ng entertainment, politics, at business.
Kabilang sa alegasyon ng Garosero Research Institute ay menor de edad pa lang si Kim Sae Ron nang magkaroon ito ng relasyon kay Kim Soo Hyun.
Labinlimang (15) taong gulang lang daw noon si Kim Sae Ron, habang si Kim Soo Hyun naman ay dalawampu't pito (27).
Tumagal daw ng halos anim na taon ang relasyon ng dalawa.
Ayon sa Garosero Research Institute, nagsimula umano ang relasyon ng dalawa noong huling bahagi 2015, at nagwakas noong unang bahagi ng 2022.
Lumalabas na walang maayos na pag-uusap sina Kim Soo Hyun at Kim Sae Ron nang sila ay maghiwalay.
Isa ito sa itinuturong dahilan ng isang kaanak ni Kim Sae Ron kung bakit daw piniling wakasan ng aktres ang kanyang buhay noong February 16, sa mismong araw ng 37th birthday ni Kim Soo Hyun.
Agad naman itong itinanggi ng Gold Medalist, ang talent management company na kinabibilangan ni Kim Soo Hyun.
Si Kim Soo Hyun ang founder ng naturang talent agency.
Si Kim Sae Ron ay kasali sa roster of artists ng Gold Medalist, pero natanggal ang dalaga nang masangkot sa sa DUI incident noong May 2022.
March 11, naglabas ng pahayag ang Gold Medalis upang pabulaanan ang anila'y "malicious claims" tungkol kina Kim Soo Hyun at Kim Sae Ron.
Ayon sa kanila, hinding-hindi nila ito mapapalampas dahil tila pagsira ito sa reputasyon ng kanilang kumpanya, maging sa pangalan ni Kim Soo Hyun, at dati nilang talent na si Kim Sae Ron.
Read: Kim Soo Hyun denies dating claims with late Kim Sae Ron anew
Mababasa sa kanilang pahayag (base sa English translation ng Soompi.com): "We would like to provide an official statement regarding the recent claims made by YouTube channel HoverLab Inc. concerning our actor Kim Soo Hyun.
"The claims made by HoverLab Inc. in their YouTube broadcast about Kim Soo Hyun are clearly false and baseless.
"In their broadcast, HoverLab Inc. alleged that our company and Kim Soo Hyun colluded with YouTuber Lee Jin Ho to harass the late actress Kim Sae Ron.
"They further claimed that Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim Sae Ron were in a romantic relationship starting when she was 15 years old, that our company acted improperly in handling the aftermath of Kim Sae Ron’s DUI incident, and that a manager from our company has a close relationship with YouTuber Lee Jin Ho.
"These malicious claims directed at our company and actor Kim Soo Hyun are entirely false and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
"We are currently reviewing the strongest possible legal actions against HoverLab Inc. for spreading these falsehoods.
"Our company is deeply saddened by the passing of the late Kim Sae Ron, who was once part of our agency, and we mourn her loss.
"However, the dissemination of such false information by HoverLab Inc. mirrors the very behavior of so-called “cyber wreckers” that caused the late actress so much pain during her lifetime.
"Their actions, driven solely by self-interest, not only damage our company but also tarnish the honor of the deceased, and thus we will respond to this matter with the utmost seriousness.
"We earnestly request that these baseless falsehoods not be further spread, amplified, or reproduced in any way."
GAROSERO RELEASES ADDITIONAL "PROOFS" OF KIM SOO HYUN-KIM SAE RON RELATIONSHIP
Hindi naman nagpatinag ang Garosero Research Institute sa legal threats mula sa kampo ni Kim Soo Hyun.
Noong March 12 ay naglabas ang Garosero Research Institute ng mga karagdagang ebidensiya bilang patunay na nagkaroon ng relasyon sina Kim Soo Hyun at Kim Sae Ron.
Kabilang dito ang mga larawan mula sa military enlistment ni Kim Soo Hyun (October 2017 hanggang July 2019), intimate photos nina Kim Soo Hyun at Kim Sae Ron, at handwritten letters ng couple para sa isa't isa.
Naglabas din ang Garosero Research Institute ng screenshots ng mga ipinadala umanong mensahe ni Kim Sae Ron kay Kim Soo Hyun.
Kaugnay ito ng loan ni Kim Sae Ron sa Gold Medalist, kung saan dati ring contract star ang aktres.
Sa mga mensaheng ito ay nakikiusap ang aktres sa aktor na bigyan siya ng sapat na panahon upang mabayaran ang kanyang pagkakautang na nagkakahalaga ng mahigit 686 million won (27.1 million pesos) matapos padalhan ng notice na nagsasabing siya raw ay kakasuhan kung hindi makakabayad.
Ang nasabing utang ay nagsimula nang arestuhin ang aktres dahil sa driving under the influence (DUI) noong 2022.
Ngunit hindi umano sumagot si Kim Soo Hyun sa panawagan na ito ni Kim Sae Ron.
Kim Soo Hyun finally admits past relationship with Kim Sae Ron; answers allegations of Garosero
Hanggang nitong March 14, tuluyan nang inamin ni Kim Soo Hyun na nagkaroon nga sila noon ng relasyon ni Kim Sae Ron.
Ito ay sa kabila ng makailang ulit nilang pagtanggi noon na walang namamagitan sa dalawang K-drama stars.
Read: Kim Soo Hyun's agency issues statement on Kim Sae Ron dating rumors
Dito iginiit ng Gold Medalist na hindi na menor de edad si Kim Sae Ron nang maging sila ni Kim Soo Hyun.
Ang Gold Medalist ang talent management company na humahawak sa karera ni Kim Soo Hyun.
Paglilinaw ng talent agency, nasa hustong gulang na si Kim Sae Ron nang maging nobyo nito si Kim Soo Hyun.
Tumagal lamang daw ng isang taon ang relasyon ng dalawa — mula summer (June to August) ng 2019 hanggang autumn (September to November) ng 2020.
Mababasa sa pahayag ng Gold Medalist (base sa English translation ng Allkpop): "Kim Soo Hyun began dating Kim Sae Ron in summer of 2019, after she became of legal age, and their relationship continued until autumn of 2020.
"It is not true that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron while she was a minor."
Isa-isa ring ipinaliwanag ng Gold Medalist ang laman ng naging post ng Garosero Research Institute noong March 12, tungkol sa nakalap nilang karagdagang ebidensiya bilang patunay na nagkaroon ng relasyon ang dalawa.
Kabilang dito ang mga larawan mula sa military enlistment ni Kim Soo Hyun (October 2017 hanggang July 2019), intimate photos nina Kim Soo Hyun at Kim Sae Ron, at handwritten letters nila para sa isa't isa.
Ayon sa Gold Medalist, walang katotohanan ang mga petsang sinabi ng Garosero Reseach Institute dahil ang totoo raw ay nangyari ang lahat nang ito noong 2019 hanggang 2020.
Saad ng Gold Medalist: "The photo revealed by Kim Sae Ron on March 24, 2024, and the photo revealed by Garosero Research Institute on March 11, 2025, were both taken on a day in winter of 2020, when the two were still dating.
"The clothing worn by Kim Sae Ron was an item released by a certain clothing brand in June of 2019. Therefore, Garosero Research Institute's claim that the photo was taken in 2016, when Kim Sae Ron was a minor, cannot be true.
"Another photo revealed by Garosero Research Institute on March 12, 2025 was taken on December 24, 2019.
"We can prove this through the photo's metadata, as we possess the original. The photo revealed once again on March 13 was taken on the same day.
"All of the photos revealed by Garosero Research Institute were taken after Kim Sae Ron became an adult. Despite Garosero Research Institute's claims that there are multiple photos of the two taken in 2016, when Kim Sae Ron was a minor, such photos do not exist because they were not dating in 2016.
"The letter that Kim Soo Hyun addressed to Kim Sae Ron during his mandatory service was a private letter sent to a close acquaintance. As the letter has shown, Kim Soo Hyun was adjusting to life in the military while sharing his day to day activities with his close acquaintance.
"However, in order to fabricate the story that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron since 2015, Garosero Research Institute falsely claimed that photos taken after Kim Sae Ron had become an adult were taken while she was still a minor.
"The YouTube channel also purposely revealed a postcard sent by Kim Soo Hyun while he was still dating Kim Sae Ron along with the letter he sent during his military service to make it seem as if the letter was also a love letter, when this was not the case."
Read: Kim Soo Hyun finally admits past relationship with Kim Sae Ron
Kim Sae ron’s financial struggles before her death
Nilinaw rin ng Gold Medalist ang tungkol sa usaping utang at pera ni Kim Sae Ron sa kanilang kumpanya bago ito sumakabilang buhay.
Read: Seo Ye Ji denies dating rumors with Kim Soo Hyun
Pahayag dito ng Gold Medalist: "According to Garosero Research Institute, Kim Soo Hyun is the devil responsible for Kim Sae Ron's death.
"The YouTube channel claimed that Gold Medalist pressured Kim Sae Ron to pay off the debt incurred after her DUI accident, and that when Kim Sae Ron sought Kim Soo Hyun's help, Kim Soo Hyun ignored her requests.
"These claims led to the speculations that Kim Sae Ron had no choice but to end her own life.
"All of this is false. In fact, Gold Medalist paid off the remaining debt that Kim Sae Ron could not handle in its full amount.
"After her DUI accident, Gold Medalist worked with Kim Sae Ron to resolve all fees and damages, including the damages incurred by the businesses who were affected by the accident.
"The total damages amounted to approximately 1.114 billion KRW (~ $765,000 USD). Gold Medalist did all we could to reduce the amount that Kim Sae Ron had to pay off herself.
"Through the efforts of Gold Medalist and Kim Sae Ron, the damages were reduced to 700 billion KRW (~ $481,000 USD). The repair and sale of Kim Sae Ron's vehicle was among the efforts to reduce the total amount in damages.
"This was done by Gold Medalist under Kim Sae Ron's consent. Contrary to the claims by Garosero Research Institute, Gold Medalist did not steal Kim Sae Ron's vehicle to pay off her debt.
"Despite Kim Sae Ron's efforts, she could not continue her work after the accident and was incapable of paying off the remaining debt. Determining that Kim Sae Ron could not pay off her debt, Gold Medalist indemnified her debt amount in December of 2023.
"This information can be verified by Gold Medalists's tax statement submitted on April 1, 2024, which lists Kim Sae Ron's debt as irrecoverable debt.
"Naturally, Gold Medalist and Kim Sae Ron underwent the proper legal procedures required for these debt payments. This was to prevent any illegalities associated with the lending of money to an individual for business purposes without any interest or security.
"In early 2024, Gold Medalist had to decide how to handle Kim Sae Ron's debt. According to accounting experts, if Gold Medalist simply paid off the actress's debt in her place without holding the actress legally responsible, it could result in repercussions associated with illegal business practices.
"Therefore, Gold Medalist had to prove that Kim Sae Ron was 'incapable' of paying her debt at the time, while also proving that the company had taken measures to secure negotiable bonds with Kim Sae Ron."
Ang notice na natanggap daw noon ni Kim Sae Ron ay parte ng legal process, hindi raw ito nangangahulugan na siya'y tinatakot para ipakulong ng talent management.
Dagdag pa ng Gold Medalist, hindi pa raw nila alam noon na nagkaroon ng relasyon ang dalawa nang magpadala ng text messages ang aktres kay Kim Soo Hyun.
"The legal notice sent to Kim Sae Ron during this time was a legal process necessary in order to prove that Kim Sae Ron was not being freed of her debt at no cost, and that Gold Medalist was not illegally resolving the debt in her place.
"The text message sent by Kim Sae Ron on March 19, 2024 also involved the verification of this legal notice. In other words, Kim Soo Hyun has never once lent Kim Sae Ron money nor has he ever attempted to retrieve any lent money from her.
"When Kim Sae Ron contacted Kim Soo Hyun for assistance regarding her debt, Gold Medalist was unaware of their relationship. They had already broken up by that time.
"Therefore, Gold Medalist advised that Kim Soo Hyun refrain from responding without the assistance of a legal expert.
"Gold Medalist intended to resolve the matter with Kim Sae Ron by enlisting the assistance of experts.
"Afterward, on March 26, 2024, Kim Sae Ron confirmed through her legal representative that she acknowledged the debt owed to Gold Medalist and that she was willing to negotiate her method of repayment with Gold Medalist.
"As a result, Gold Medalist was able to resolve Kim Sae Ron's debt legally, and we not demanded any amount of repayment from Kim Sae Ron since then."
Kim Soo Hyun's private photo goes viral
Sa huling ulat ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) patuloy ang paglalabas ng Garosero Research Institute ng mga litrato ni Kim Soo Hyun habang sila pa ni Kim Sae Ron.
Ngayong Sabado, March 16, isang pribadong litrato ni Kim Soo Hyun na walang saplot pang-ibaba ang isinapubliko ng Garosero Research Institute, na agad namang pinag-usapan online.
Nakasuot ng t-shirt na black si Kim Soo Hyun habang naka-censor naman ang ibabang bahagi ng kanyang katawan.
Makikita sa litrato ang aktor na naghuhugas ng mga pinggan sa lababo ng mismong bahay umano ni Kim Sae Ron.
Pagbabanta pa ng Garosero Research Institute, marami pa itong mailababas na video at picture ni Kim Soo Hyun sa mga susunod na araw.
Agad namang naglabas ng pahayag dito ang Gold Medalist.
Sa ulat ng Koreaboo, kinumpirma ng Gold Medalist na ang aktor nga ang lalaking nasa viral photo.
Ngunit giit ng talent agency, walang rason ang Garosero Research Institute para i-upload pa ito, lalo na't kinumpirma naman na raw ng aktor na totoong nakarelasyon nito Kim Sae Ron.
Saad ng Gold Medalist: "The photos released by [Garosero Research Institute] were taken on December 14, 2019.
"There is no reason for the private photos of Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim Sae Ron to be indiscriminately published.
"We ask that you cease the dissemination of personal privacy."
Read: Kim Soo Hyun's private photo at Kim Sae Ron's house goes viral