[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 for prosecution of Kim Se-se, CEO of the Horizontal and Vertical Research 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 22nd Civil Division (B) of Seoul Central District Court will resume the third trial session 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 last April and resumed after four months following the conclusion of the second trial session in March.

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

At that time, Brand A indirectly referenced the controversy surrounding the late Kim Sae-ron related to Kim Soo-hyun, 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 receive 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 that there were serious reasons making it difficult to fulfill the advertising model contract, and we are officially proceeding with contract termination procedures through our lawyers. We made this decision to protect the values pursued by the brand and consumer trust."

This resumption of the trial session draws attention because it occurred after the police concluded with an arrest and transfer for prosecution in the defamation case against Kim Soo-hyun related to the incident involving Kim Se-ui (CEO).

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

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

Currently, it is reported that Kim Soo-hyun is 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 for prosecution on the 3rd on charges of violating the Act on the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation by spreading false information), the Special Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, etc. (distribution of recordings made using cameras, etc.), attempted coercion, and threats.

According to the police, Kim Se-ui (CEO) is suspected 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 means from March to May last year, and that the direct cause of Kim Sae-ron's death was financial pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side. He is also suspected 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.

The police believe that the KakaoTalk conversation content presented by Kim Se-ui (CEO) at a press conference last March, claiming that 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. At the time, he claimed, "(The warrant) is nonsense without even a basic summary of the 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).

Gold Medalist stated on the 5th, "Although not a direct party to the case, we deeply thank those who spoke on behalf of Mr. Kim Soo-hyun for a long time while waiting for the procedures prescribed by law." He added, "We also express our gratitude to those who conducted direct investigations to reveal the truth of the case and to everyone who joined us 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.