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On Saturday, April 19, a netizen made an X post expressing that they spotted Kim Soo-hyun posters put by CHOEAEDOL Celeb. The advertisement was pasted at one of the exits at the Hongdae Subway Station. When this X post was created, many netizens were displeased by the same due to the actor's ongoing dating controversy with the late Kim Sae-ron.
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They explained that the CHOEAEDOL Celeb is often chosen through a voting system, and many criticized the people who voted for the actor despite the allegations raised against him. Additionally, they also criticized CHOEAEDOL Celeb for putting up Kim Soo-hyun as one of the candidates for the voting amidst the current controversies.
On the other hand, many fans came to the actor's defense and explained that it was only natural for him to be a candidate as he's a popular and renowned actor in the industry. People also talked about how Kim Soo-hyun's fame is not only on a local level but is widespread internationally, and therefore, it made sense for him to be chosen for the CHOEAEDOL Celeb ad.
"I thought it was decided by voting.... Isn't it crazy to put that as a candidate?"
"Isn't this something you put up for a vote?" said a fan on X.
"Aren't these things up for a vote? If the votes were received before the news came out... I can understand. But you should have reviewed it before uploading it and put it in 2nd place or something" added another fan.
On the other hand, people supported Kim Soo-hyun and defended the criticism he was getting for the recent ad at CHOEAEDOL Celeb.
"Because he is not just a star but a superstar. Wherever you go he will follow," stated a fan.
"because he's an international star (:" added an X user.
"Because he’s a global and an international star, even if you relocate to another country, you will see his pics everywhere," said a netizen.
All you need to know about the ongoing dating controversy between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron
On March 11, Garo Sero Research Institute released a YouTube report exposing the alleged six-year-long relationship between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron. The report explained that the two allegedly dated between 2015 and 2021, and Sae-ron was 15 years old while Soo-hyun was 27 years old when they started dating.
This led to grooming allegations directed towards the actor. Additionally, the report also explained that Kim Sae-ron was housed under Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, since its establishment in 2019. Therefore, during Kim Sae-ron's DUI case in 2022, the agency allegedly helped her with the compensation fee of 700 million KRW.
When the actress later left the agency, she reportedly promised to pay back the debt slowly. However, in 2024, Gold Medalist reportedly sent a formal notice to the actress, demanding the repayment of the debt. Since the actress didn't have the financial support to do the same, she tried to reach out to Kim Soo-hyun. However, there was no response from the actor.
Eventually, Garo Sero Research Institute speculated that the actress took her own life due to the financial pressure on Soo-hyun's birthday, on February 16, 2025. Following the land of these claims, Gold Medalist released a statement explaining that the two did date, but it wasn't when Kim Sae-ron was a minor, but it was for about a year after she turned 18.
Additionally, they also expressed that Soo-hyun was never personally involved in the financial feud between Gold Medalist and Kim Sae-ron. Regardless, Garo Sero Research Institute has consistently been releasing pictures and videos to prove the relationship between Soo-hyun and Sae-ron.
