"Kim Soo-hyun does not need to return 500 million won to MIDO"... Wins lawsuit seeking return of advertising contract fees

[Financial News] It has been reported that Gold Medalist, actor Kim Soo-hyun's agency, has definitively won a lawsuit filed by Swiss watch brand MIDO seeking the return of approximately 570 million won in advertising contract fees.
According to legal sources on the 11th, the 13th Civil Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Choi Soo-jin, completely dismissed MIDO's claim in a lawsuit seeking the return of contract fees filed against Gold Medalist and others on the 27th of last month. MIDO did not appeal by the 10th, the day before the appeal deadline, so the first-instance ruling against the plaintiff became final.
MIDO first signed Kim Soo-hyun as an advertising model in December 2020 and renewed the contract annually. However, after controversies surrounding Kim Soo-hyun emerged, MIDO unilaterally terminated the contract in May last year and filed a lawsuit seeking the return of approximately 577 million won, corresponding to the remaining contract period.
Kim Soo-hyun became embroiled in controversy in March last year over allegations that he had been in a relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron since she was a minor. He subsequently suspended his work in productions and advertising for a time while pursuing legal action. This is the first final ruling among the lawsuits seeking the return of advertising contract fees filed against Kim Soo-hyun's side.
Earlier, on July 29, the Seoul Seongdong Police Station decided not to refer to prosecutors, citing insufficient evidence, cases involving allegations that Kim Soo-hyun had violated the Child Welfare Act and made a false accusation in connection with his relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron. However, MIDO reportedly argued that the contract termination was justified because the model's commercial value had been damaged by the controversy, regardless of whether Kim Soo-hyun was at fault, and that the contract fees for the remaining period should be returned.
Gold Medalist, on the other hand, maintained that the controversy arose from allegations made by a third party and that there was no reason to hold Kim Soo-hyun responsible for the contract termination because he was not at fault. The court also determined that the grounds for terminating the contract had not been established and therefore rejected MIDO's claim.
Bang Seong-hun, an attorney at LKB & Partners representing Gold Medalist, explained, "I believe this ruling establishes that attempts to shift the harm onto victims of false allegations cannot be accepted legally."
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter