Legal sources from the Seoul Eastern District Court’s Civil Division 13, led by Chief Judge Choi Soo Jin, fully dismissed Mido’s lawsuit against Gold Medalist and associated parties on August 27, seeking the return of the contract deposit.
Mido chose not to appeal the decision by the September 10 deadline, making the initial judgment final.
Initially signing Kim Soo Hyun as its model in December 2020 and renewing the contract annually, Mido terminated the agreement in May 2025 due to controversy around the actor’s personal life. Following this, they sued to recover the remaining contract fees, approximately 577 million won.In March of the previous year, Kim Soo Hyun was accused of an improper relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron while she was a minor. He denied the claims but filed a defamation complaint against the source of the allegations, which were later found to be fabricated in June.
Nevertheless, Mido claimed that terminating the contract was justified due to harm to Kim Soo Hyun’s commercial value, regardless of his personal involvement in the controversy. They demanded the return of the remaining advertising fees.Bang Sung Hoon, representing Gold Medalist, stated, “This ruling sets a legal precedent that holding victims of false allegations accountable for the consequences cannot be justified under the law.”
Sources: Daum