Kim Soo-hyun reportedly offloads Seoul property following legal dispute
Kim Soo-hyun / Xportsnews
Actor Kim Soo-hyun has reportedly sold one of his high-end properties as he faces mounting legal challenges from advertisers.
According to a recent report by Woman Sense, Kim sold his unit at the upscale Galleria Foret in Seongsu-dong, Seoul — originally purchased in October 2014 for 3.02 billion won ($2.2 million) — for 8 billion won on July 3. The apartment, measuring 170.98 square meters in net floor area and 232.59 square meters in total area, earned him a profit of nearly 4.98 billion won after 11 years.
Sources say Kim signed the sales contract on June 27, shortly after being hit with a 7.3 billion won damages lawsuit from an advertiser. The timing has sparked speculation that the sale may have been prompted by financial concerns related to the lawsuit.
However, attorney Bang Sung-hoon of law firm LKB & Partners, who represents Kim, told Xportsnews on Wednesday, “This is a personal matter, so it is difficult to confirm the details,” declining further comment. Some speculate the sale was part of preparations to handle potential liabilities.
“The lawsuits filed by advertisers are based on the false premise that Kim Soo-hyun caused public controversy by dating the late Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. That claim is entirely untrue and was based on fabricated allegations by Garo Sero Institute. Once the investigation concludes, we will be able to defend against the lawsuits," Kim's agency said.
Earlier, a medical device company that had hired Kim as a commercial model placed a provisional seizure of 3 billion won on one of his Galleria Foret units. Another company also requested a separate 100 million won provisional seizure on the same property.
Meanwhile, Kim and his agency, Gold Medalist, filed additional charges on June 23 against Kim Se-ui, head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, and the family of the late actor Kim Sae-ron for alleged false accusations.
During a May 7 press conference, Kim's side argued that Kim Se-ui spread misinformation by presenting a forged audio file of the late actress, created using deepfake technology. They also noted that both Kim Se-ui and the late actor's family subsequently filed police complaints against Kim Soo-hyun for child protection law violations and other charges based on that file. “This is clearly a case of false accusation,” the agency said.
This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.