Kim Soo-hyun to film Bench ad July 14, first activity in a year

Kim Soo-hyun will film an advertisement for Philippine fashion brand Bench on July 14. It's his first confirmed official activity since suspending everything in March 2025 following allegations tied to the late actress Kim Sae-ron.

Production on the Disney+ series Knock Off stopped as well. The allegations came from Kim Se-ui, who runs the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute. From March to May of last year, he made repeated claims through broadcasts and press conferences that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron had dated since her teenage years and that his agency pressured her over debt repayment.

Police investigation found the KakaoTalk conversations presented as evidence were fabricated. Kim Sae-ron's voice in circulated recordings was generated using AI. Kim Se-ui was arrested on May 26 on charges including defamation by false statements, violation of the stalking punishment law, violations of the sexual violence punishment law related to distribution of recordings, and attempted coercion and intimidation. His bail review request was rejected on June 2.

Kim Soo-hyun's agency Goldmedalist confirmed the charges on June 5, stating police referred Kim Se-ui to prosecutors for arrest "considering the seriousness of the case."

Attorney Ko Sang-rok, representing Kim Soo-hyun, said the side filed a lawsuit valued at 12 billion won immediately after the incident last year. Materials submitted to investigative agencies show losses of approximately 30 billion won, with the lawsuit amount subject to increase.

Separate civil suits are still running. Six advertisers—Frombio, Cuckoo Electronics, Trendmaker, Classis, Aider, and Mido—are pursuing damages totaling approximately 10 billion won. Suwon District Court's 14th Civil Division holds the third hearing on June 10 for Frombio's 3.96 billion won claim against Kim Soo-hyun and Goldmedalist.

Goldmedalist said in a statement: "Kim Soo-hyun's past year was solely time spent keeping that promise. Finally, through procedures established by law and thorough investigation, the truth has been proven."