Kim Soo Hyun’s brand value drops to zero as 16 ‘frustrated’ advertisers demand billions in damages

16 brands chasing Kim Soo Hyun 

June has been brutal for the once-beloved K-drama star, whose apartment and assets worth millions were seized by two brands that publicly revealed their identities. Medical skincare brand Classys swooped in on his Galleria Forêt apartment, which he had purchased back in 2013 and 2014. Classys filed a lawsuit demanding ₩3.00 billion KRW (approx. $2.19 million USD). The very next day, South Korean electronics giant Cuckoo headed to court to freeze Soo Hyun’s assets worth about ₩100 million KRW (roughly $73,500 USD). Along with its multiple subsidiaries—including a rice cooker brand and its Chinese affiliate—the company is demanding ₩850 million KRW (around $625,000 USD) in damages. A joint lawsuit combining all the holdings Soo Hyun represented totals ₩2.03 billion KRW (around $1.47 million USD). On April 25, another cosmetic brand moved to court, demanding ₩510 million KRW (roughly $367,000 USD). And now, two more brands have come forward: ₩510 million from Trendmaker and  ₩3.96 billion from Frombio. So far, the total claimed damages have skyrocketed to ₩7.34 billion.

Also read: Kim Soo Hyun loses millions in assets to home appliance brand after luxury apartment seizure; fails to pay damages

 Prada, which had signed the actor just months before the controversy derailed his career and upcoming projects, was the first international brand to pull the plug. Kim Soo Hyun’s brand reputation has been completely wiped out despite him constantly trending on local trackers. His popularity still soars, both in South Korea and globally, with support trucks arriving from countries with massive K-drama fandoms. Some fans even went as far as filing independent lawsuits after hiring their own attorneys to defend the actor.

Soo Hyun’s legal team, LKB & Partners, earlier issued a statement saying the evidence being used by advertisers to distance themselves is completely fabricated. They’ve now moved the case to the national forensics department in hopes of flipping the narrative. “What Garo Sero is claiming is false, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Kim Soo Hyun is the actual victim here,” his lawyer said.