Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun and luxury brand Prada reportedly parted ways after three months of association. A SpotvNews report states that Prada released a statement on Friday that Soo Hyun’s contract has been terminated by ‘mutual agreement’. Here’s what they said. (Also Read: Kim Sae-ron’s mother ‘furious’ by Kim Soo Hyun’s agency statement on daughter; preps for rebuttal)
Kim Soo Hyun dropped by Prada
According to the publication, Prada addressed the controversy surrounding the Korean actor in their statement that read, “We would like to inform you that after considering the severity of the issue, our collaboration with Kim Soo Hyun has been mutually concluded. The contract has been terminated. The decision came from headquarters. — Prada.”
This comes after numerous K-drama fans spammed Prada’s social media, asking them why Soo Hyun was still their brand ambassador amid the Kim Sae-ron dating scandal.
One angry fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter) before Prada released their statement, “Your ambassador is a pedophile and complicit in a young woman ending her life, @Prada. The way you’re hiding comments makes me think you actually support him. That can’t be true, right? Your luxurious yet inclusive brand would never do that, right? It would be a shame if #BoycottPrada trended.”
Another X user wrote, “Big brand like prada destroying its reputation over a pedophile incel? Shame on you #BoycottsKimSoohyon.” Soo Hyun was appointed as Prada’s brand ambassador last year, and his contract was terminated in just three months. Numerous people spammed Prada’s Instagram too with comments like, “She was just 15yrs old” and “Dating a minor literally?” Some even called him ‘Korean Diddy’ in the comments section.
Kim Soo Hyun faces backlash
Prada is not the first brand to seemingly drop Hoo Syun because a person on X posted a picture of an ad featuring the actor being taken down, writing, “Brand tears down Kim Soo Hyun’s Ad at Night, Ad in Front of HomePlus Office.”
This comes after actor Kim Sae-ron died by suicide by February 16 and the Garosero Research Institute broke the news that Soo Hyun dated her for six years when she was just a minor. Her aunt also provided pictures and letters to the channel as proof after Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, brushed it off as ‘malicious rumours’.
The agency released a fresh statement on Friday admitting that the actors dated but denied she was a minor then. There are also allegations of Soo Hyun pressuring her to repay the 700 million won she borrowed from him during her DUI in 2022. Her family is reportedly planning a rebuttal to his statement.