Kim Soo-hyun wins first court victory in ad dispute worth billions of won; watch brand Mido loses

Actor Kim Soo-hyun has won his first court victory in a series of advertising contract disputes worth billions of won. His agency, Gold Medalist, prevailed in a lawsuit filed by Swiss watch brand Mido seeking the return of 577 million won ($430,000) in contract fees.

According to legal sources, the Seoul Eastern District Court's 13th Civil Division, presided over by Chief Judge Choi Su-jin, dismissed all of Mido's claims on Aug. 27 in the suit the brand had filed against Gold Medalist and others seeking the return of the contract payment. The ruling became final after Mido did not file an appeal by Thursday, the deadline for doing so.

The ruling marks the first finalized judgment in the ongoing series of advertising contract refund lawsuits involving Kim.

The dispute traces back to last March, when Kim suspended his public activities amid controversy over allegations that he had dated the late actor Kim Sae-ron beginning when she was a minor.

Mido unilaterally terminated its advertising model contract with Kim last May and filed suit seeking the return of approximately 577 million won in fees corresponding to the remaining contract period.

The tide turned after Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, which had been at the forefront of raising the allegations, was indicted in June on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The Seoul Seongdong Police Station decided in July not to refer to prosecutors the case against Kim Soo-hyun on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act and filing a false report in connection with the alleged relationship with Kim Sae-ron, citing insufficient evidence.

In the litigation, Mido argued that the contract termination was justified because Kim's commercial value had been damaged, regardless of whether he bore any fault.

Gold Medalist stood firm, maintaining that the controversy had been sparked by a third party's disclosure and that Kim bore no fault, leaving no grounds to hold him responsible for the contract's termination.

The court ultimately sided with Gold Medalist, finding that the conditions for contract termination had not been met and rejecting Mido's claims in full.