According to legal sources on September 11, the Seoul Eastern District Court’s Civil Division 13, presided over by Chief Judge Choi Soo Jin, completely dismissed Mido’s claim against Gold Medalist and related parties in a lawsuit seeking the return of the contract deposit on August 27.
Mido did not appeal the ruling by the deadline of September 10, meaning the first-instance judgment has now become final.
Mido first signed Kim Soo Hyun as its advertising model in December 2020 and renewed the contract annually thereafter. However, after controversy surrounding the actor’s personal life emerged last year, the brand unilaterally terminated the contract in May 2025 and filed a lawsuit seeking the return of approximately 577 million won corresponding to the remaining contract period.
In March last year, Kim Soo Hyun faced allegations that he had been romantically involved with the late actress Kim Sae Ron while she was still a minor. Kim Soo Hyun denied the allegation, stating that the two had only dated after she became an adult. He subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Kim Se Ui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, which had been a source of the allegations. In June, investigators reportedly determined that the audio recordings and messenger conversations used to support the allegations had been fabricated and were false materials, leading to Kim Se Ui being indicted in custody.
However, Mido reportedly argued that the contract termination was justified because the actor’s commercial value had been damaged, regardless of whether Kim Soo Hyun was personally responsible for the controversy, and therefore demanded the return of the remaining advertising fees.
Bang Sung Hoon, an attorney at LKB & Partners representing Gold Medalist, said, “I believe this ruling establishes a legal standard that attempts to shift the consequences of harm onto victims of false allegations cannot be accepted under the law.”
Sources: Daum