Kim Soo-hyun

Some Lesser Known Facts About Kim Soo-hyun

• Kim Soo-hyun grew up in Seoul, South Korea.

• Kim’s parents separated when he was very young. His father later remarried and had another child, Kim Juna. Soo-hyun, however, still often refers to himself as an only child, out of respect for the mother who raised him alone.

  

• As a child, Kim was timid and quiet. To help him open up, his mother enrolled him in acting classes. Over time, he developed an interest in acting, and by the time he reached high school, he had grown a desire to become an actor.

• Kim began his career in theatre with his first major role as ‘Puck’ in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He went on to play Kenickie in the musical ‘Grease’ and portray the lead character in ‘Hamlet.’

• Kim has worked in a few short films, including ‘Cherry Blossom’ (2008) and ‘Worst Friends’ (2009), in which he played the roles of  ‘Han Hyun-joon’ and ‘Kim Joon-ki’ respectively.

  

• In 2008, he played the role of ‘Han Jae-ta’ in ‘Jungle Fish,’ a KBS2 teen drama inspired by real events. The show highlighted the struggles and academic pressure that students face to get into elite universities.

  

• In 2009, he appeared in a few television series, including SBS’s ‘Will It Snow for Christmas?’ and ‘Father’s House.’

  

• In 2011, Kim Soo-hyun was appointed as an ambassador for the 16th Korea Goyang International Flower Festival along with singer Bae Suzy.

• Kim Soo-hyun gained recognition through his performance as ‘Song Sam-dong’ in the television series ‘Dream High’ (2011), which aired on KBS2.
  

• Kim Soo-hyun and actor Bae Suzy were rumoured to be dating after starring together in the 2011 drama Dream High. Their chemistry sparked speculation, but in 2013, Kim clarified they were just close friends.

• In 2011, Kim Soo-hyun and actor Yoona were rumoured to be dating after working on a commercial together. Reports claimed that they met at a church and became close. Since neither of them denied the rumours, fans continued to speculate about their relationship.

• In 2012, he made a special appearance as ‘Song Sam-dong’ in ‘Dream High 2.’

  

• That same year, he played the role of ‘King Lee Hwon’ in MBC TV’s series ‘Moon Embracing the Sun.’
  

• Kim Soo-hyun has become a top choice for advertisers and has often been called the ‘King of Endorsements.’ He has promoted a wide variety of products, including food, fashion, electronics, telecom services, and automobiles.

• His popularity grew with ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’ so much that he became the face of 17 brands at once, breaking figure skater Yuna Kim’s previous record of 15 endorsements.

• Kim has appeared in many films, such as Zampano in ‘The Thieves’ (2012), Won Ryu-hwan/Bang Dong-gu in ‘Secretly, Greatly’ (2013), Mr. Park (young) in ‘Miss Granny’ (2014), and Jang Tae-yeong in ‘Real’ (2017).

  

• In 2012, Kim began donating rice to those in need. He has continued providing rice every year since.

• On 18 April 2012, Kim was appointed as the Honorary Ambassador for Korean tourism by the Korea Tourism Organization.

  

• On 3 December 2012, he was named the Public Relations Ambassador for Lotte Hotel Busan.

• Kim Soo-hyun’s work as ‘Do Min-joon’ in the romantic comedy series ‘My Love from the Star’ (2013-2014) was praised by both viewers and critics. He also lent his voice to the songs ‘In Front of Your House’ and ‘Promise.’

  

• After the success of ‘My Love from the Star,’ Kim became one of the popular commercial models, appearing in over 30 ads, including 10 shown in China and other Asian countries.

• On 20 May 2014, Kim Soo-hyun was appointed as one of the Public Relations Ambassadors for Chung-Ang University in Seoul.

• In 2014, Kim attended the opening ceremonies of two global sports events. He sang ‘Light up the Future’ at the Summer Youth Olympics in China and later participated in the Asian Games in South Korea, promoting the message of ‘One Asia’ with others.

  

• During his 2014 Asia tour, Kim Soo-hyun donated nearly ₩200 million to the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF) through a Gucci event.

• He later contributed ₩300 million to support the young victims of the Sewol ferry disaster as part of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign.

• In 2014, Kim Soo-hyun was rumoured to be dating actor and singer Nana after reports claimed that they had called each other their “ideal type.” Nana, however, later denied rumours on the talk show ‘Mnet’s Beatles Code 3D’ and clarified that the speculation was based on false claims by a reporter.

• In 2015, Kim was romantically linked to actor Ahn So hee after she signed with his agency, KeyEast Entertainment. Reports claimed they met secretly at her Yongsan apartment and were planning to marry. However, both KeyEast and Ahn’s agency, BH Entertainment, denied the rumours and warned of legal action against false reports.

• His appearance as ‘Baek Seung-chan’ in KBS2’s series ‘The Producers’ (2015) earned him more recognition.
  

• On 3o July 2015, Kim’s wax figure was unveiled at Musée Grévin in Seoul, making him one of the first Korean actors featured at the museum.

  

• That same year, he was appointed as the Honorary Ambassador for Incheon International Airport.

  

• Kim Soo-hyun was named Seoul’s Goodwill Ambassador on 25 October 2015. Over the next two years, he participated in several cultural events to help promote the city.

  

• In 2015, he became the face of Jeju Air, and in 2016, he was featured as the main character in a Chinese video game.

  

• In April 2016, Kim was chosen as the face of Paradise City and Paradise Casino to boost the resort’s global appeal, especially in China and Japan.

  

• In January 2017, Kim Soo-hyun participated in an online campaign called ‘Give Love’ alongside other leading South Korean celebrities. The initiative aimed to raise funds for NGOs working to protect and support children’s rights.

• In 2017, he appeared in a music video for the song ‘Ending Scene’ sung by IU.

  

• Kim was once rumoured to be involved with singer and actor IU. Both, however, later denied the rumours, calling each other close friends.

  

• That same year, Kim took a break from acting to complete his 21-month mandatory military service.

• He made a comeback with special appearances in tvN’s ‘Hotel del Luna’ (2019) and ‘Crash Landing on You’ (2019-2020).

• In December 2019, Kim left KeyEast and co-founded the entertainment agency ‘Gold Medalist’ with his cousin, director Lee Sa-rang, and producer Kim Mi-hye.

• Kim Soo-hyun worked in many other series, including tvN’s ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ (2020), Coupang Play’s ‘One Ordinary Day’ (2021), and tvN’s ‘Queen of Tears’ (2024).

• In February 2020, Kim Soo-hyun offered financial support to low-income families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic by donating ₩100 million.

• In July 2021, Kim Soo-hyun became a product endorser for the Philippine retail brand ‘Bench.’ On 13 September 2021, he was named a global ambassador for the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger.

  

• In 2022, Kim became the product endorser for Dunkin’ Donuts. On 17 August 2023, he was chosen as the brand ambassador for the outdoor fashion brand Eider.

  

• In January 2025, Kim Soo-hyun was named a brand ambassador for Prada and attended the brand’s Fall/Winter 2025 show at Milan Fashion Week. His partnership with Prada, however, ended in March due to allegations that he had dated actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.

  

• The controversy intensified after YouTuber Kim Se-ui held a press conference on 7 May 2025, where he played an audio recording that allegedly proved Soo-hyun had a romantic relationship with Kim Sae-ron, which supposedly began when she was still in middle school.

• During the same event, Kim Se-ui accused Soo-hyun of physical assault and claimed he refused to pay 4 billion won (approximately Rs 25.3 crore) to suppress the audio. He further alleged that Kim had violated South Korea’s Child Welfare Act by allegedly engaging in a romantic relationship with Kim Sae-ron while she was still a minor.

• In response, Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team at LKB & Partners dismissed all the accusations, stating that the voice recording was AI-generated.

• On 23 June 2025, Kim Soo-hyun and his agency, Gold Medalist, filed a criminal complaint and additional lawsuits against Kim Se-ui and Kim Sae-ron’s family for defamation and false accusations.

• His legal team labelled it a “serious case of false accusation” and made it clear they would hold both parties fully accountable for the damage to Soo-hyun’s reputation.

• The controversy traced back to May 2022, when Kim Sae-ron was involved in a DUI incident, which reportedly led to financial issues and disputes with her agency, Gold Medalist, owned by Kim Soo-hyun.

• Reports claim that during this period, Kim Sae-ron reached out to Kim Soo-hyun multiple times, asking for help with her debts, but he allegedly distanced himself from her.

• Kim Sae-ron committed suicide on 16 February 2025. After her death, speculations began to surface about Kim Soo-hyun’s possible involvement.

• Kim Soo-hyun is an avid traveller and often shares his travel experiences on social media.

  

• He loves animals and often posts pictures with them on social media.

  

Kim Soo-hyun in ‘Hotel del Luna’ (2019)

Kim Soo-hyun as ‘Moon Gang-tae’ in ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ (2020)