[Exclusive]After Kim Se-se's arrest... Kim Soo-hyun's 2.8 billion won cosmetic model lawsuit to resume in July

*This content was translated by AI.

Following the arrest and transfer of Kim Se-se, CEO of Garo-Sero Institute, for spreading false information about Kim Soo-hyun, a civil lawsuit between Kim Soo-hyun and advertisers will resume in July.

According to a StarNews investigation, the Seoul Central District Court's 22nd Civil Division (B) will resume the third hearing of a 2.8 billion won damages lawsuit filed by cosmetic brand A against Kim Soo-hyun and his agency, Gold Medalist, on July 3.

This lawsuit began seven months after the complaint was filed in April 2025, and will resume after four months following the conclusion of the second hearing in March.

Brand A previously announced in March 2025, after rumors about Kim Soo-hyun's private life surfaced, that it had decided to terminate the advertising model contract via its official SNS. At that time, the model contract between Brand A and Kim Soo-hyun was valid until August 2025.

Brand A indirectly referenced the controversy surrounding the late Kim Sae-ron, stating, "As a partner we worked with, we believed it was appropriate to uphold the principles of good faith in our relationship and contract. Therefore, until we received a statement from Kim Soo-hyun and his agency, it was difficult to immediately issue an official statement or terminate the model contract. After confirming the agency's statement, we determined there were serious reasons making it difficult to fulfill the advertising model contract, and are officially proceeding with contract termination procedures through our lawyers. We made this decision to protect the values our brand pursues and consumer trust."

This resumption of hearings draws attention as it follows the police conclusion to arrest and transfer Kim Se-ui (CEO) in the defamation case against Kim Soo-hyun related to the lawsuit.

Previously, the 14th Civil Division of the Suwon District Court is also scheduled to hold the third hearing of a 3.96 billion won damages lawsuit filed by health supplement company Prombio against Kim Soo-hyun and Gold Medalist on the 10th.

This lawsuit had been suspended for about eight months to await the outcome of related cases after the second hearing held on October 22, 2025. The court notified both parties of the hearing date on May 27, the day after Kim Se-ui (CEO) was arrested on May 26.

Kim Soo-hyun is reportedly facing damages lawsuits totaling over 10 billion won from companies including Prombio, Classis, Kukoo Electronics, and Trend Maker.

Meanwhile, Kim Se-ui (CEO) was arrested and transferred on the 3rd on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation by spreading false information), the Special Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes, the Special Act on Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, etc. (distribution of recordings made with cameras, etc.), attempted coercion, and threats.

According to police, Kim Se-ui (CEO) is accused of spreading recordings and other materials claiming that Kim Soo-hyun dated the late Kim Sae-ron, who was a minor, through YouTube broadcasts and other platforms from March to May 2025, and that Kim Soo-hyun's debt repayment pressure was the direct cause of Kim Sae-ron's death. He is also accused of fabricating false information by manipulating the late Kim Sae-ron's voice using generative artificial intelligence (AI), thereby damaging Kim Soo-hyun's reputation.

Police believe that the KakaoTalk conversation content presented by Kim Se-ui (CEO) at a press conference in March 2025, claiming Kim Soo-hyun and the late Kim Sae-ron were dating, was also fabricated.

Subsequently, on May 26, Kim Se-ui (CEO) appeared in court for a substantive review of the arrest warrant and denied all charges. Kim Se-ui (CEO) claimed, "(The warrant) is nonsense without even a basic summary of facts." However, the court issued an arrest warrant against Kim Se-ui (CEO), citing concerns of evidence destruction and flight, and did not accept the arrest appropriateness review requested by Kim Se-ui (CEO) to the court.

In response, Gold Medalist stated on the 5th, "Although not a direct party to the case, we deeply thank those who spoke on behalf of Kim Soo-hyun for a long time while waiting for the procedures prescribed by law." The agency added, "We also express our gratitude to those who conducted direct investigations to reveal the truth of the case and to everyone who joined efforts to ensure the reality of the case becomes widely known."

Kim Soo-hyun plans to increase the damages claim amount against Kim Se-ui (CEO) from the original 12 billion won to 30 billion won.

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*This content was translated by AI.