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South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun is facing global backlash. On March 15, 2025, a few videos circulated on the internet, showing his posters and standees being removed from public spaces. Social media is flooded with footage of the takedowns.
The backlash follows ongoing controversy over his alleged past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron. One of the clips shows a hospital staff member pulling down his standee.
Another popular video showed a man peeling off the artist's poster from a wall.
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Another video showed a netizen on TikTok ripping off his posters and pictures.
The situation is similar in China, where Kim Soo-hyun previously had a large fan base. Reports state that several major fan cafes dedicated to him have been shut down.
Chinese social media platform Weibo is, too, filled with negative posts and ongoing discussions about the actor.
Prada ended its partnership with Kim Soo-hyun following the Kim Sae-ron controversy
Major brands have cut ties with South Korean star Kim Soo-hyun. The 37-year-old actor is facing backlash over claims he dated actress Kim Sae-ron when she was underage. Following this, Italian luxury brand Prada has now ended its deal with him.
"Considering the seriousness of the issue, we have decided to end our collaboration with actor Kim Soo-hyun by mutual agreement. The contract has been terminated. This was a decision made at the headquarters level," the label said on March 14, 2025.
The brand named Kim Soo-hyun as its ambassador in December 2024. South Korean vegan beauty brand Dinto also dropped him.
"This decision was made to uphold the values that DINTO stands for and to honor the trust placed in us by our consumers," Dinto shared in an Instagram post on March 15, 2025.
Soo-hyun was signed with them until August 2025.
Kim Soo-hyun's scandal started when the Korean YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute made a claim on March 10, 2025. They said the actor dated Kim Sae-ron in 2015 when she was 15. The alleged relationship lasted six years.
Sae-ron passed away in February 2024 at age 24. Garosero also said Soo-hyun pushed Sae-ron to repay a 700 million won debt to his agency, Goldmedalist — a company he co-founded and where Sae-ron was signed until 2022.
At first, Goldmedalist denied it, calling the claims "baseless and malicious." However, after Garosero released photos of Soo-hyun and Sae-ron kissing and sharing love letters, the agency admitted they dated.
However, they said it happened only between 2019 and 2020 when Sae-ron was an adult, rejecting other allegations. Meanwhile, Garosero shared another photo that allegedly shows Soo-hyun washing dishes at Sae-ron’s home, without wearing any pants.
The YouTube channel also shared a message they say is from Sae-ron’s family. It asks Soo-hyun to apologize for dating her when she was a minor and for forcing her to repay her debt.
