A civil lawsuit filed by Cuckoo Electronics against actor Kim Soo Hyun has officially commenced, following allegations that he was involved in a relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron while she was underage.
The Seoul Central District Court, Civil Division 25, held the first hearing on November 14 for the 2 billion KRW (about 1.37 million USD) damages claim, which Cuckoo Electronics and related entities jointly filed against Kim Soo Hyun and his agency, Gold Medalist. During the hearing, the court requested that Cuckoo Electronics clarify the specific grounds for its claim.
Cuckoo Electronics previously removed Kim Soo Hyun from its advertisements after public backlash over the allegations, and subsequently filed the civil lawsuit.
The court asked Cuckoo Electronics to specify whether the contract termination was solely due to a “breakdown of trust” or if the breakdown resulted from Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged misconduct, noting that the scope of damages depends on the cause of the contract termination. The judge also emphasized that public controversy alone does not justify contract termination and requested detailed arguments aligned with the specific grounds for ending the agreement.
Regarding the allegations involving Kim Sae Ron, the court noted that the civil claim’s validity would depend on whether the allegations were proven and questioned whether Cuckoo Electronics planned to await the results of related investigations before proceeding.
In response, Cuckoo Electronics argued that the cancellation of all advertisements due to a decline in Kim Soo Hyun’s image was not solely caused by the allegations from an online source. The company maintained that the alleged breach of trust was a valid reason for contract termination and that the civil lawsuit could proceed without waiting for the outcome of any criminal proceedings.
Kim Soo Hyun’s side requested that the company specify exactly which actions violated contractual obligations and which responses after the allegations were considered inadequate, asking for concrete details on the alleged deficiencies.
The court scheduled the next hearing for January 16, 2026, to hear further arguments from both parties.
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