
Kim Soo-Hyun, who was supposed to make his highly-anticipated K-drama comeback this year, is now facing a major career setback. He has been unexpectedly embroiled in the controversy surrounding Kim Sae-Ron’s tragic death. From grooming to cheating allegations, he continues to face a massive backlash as his own fans turned against him. In light of the current situation, Disney+ has postponed the release of his upcoming drama Knock-Off.
As per the latest report, the actor can now face a hefty penalty fee. As soon as the controversy erupted, many demanded that Disney+ cancel the airing of his upcoming drama with Jo Bo-Ah. Although the OTT platform hasn’t canceled the series, the premiere has been postponed indefinitely. Earlier, it was supposed to be released in April. But now, the schedule remains uncertain.
Kim Soo-Hyun might face a huge penalty fee if the project gets shelved altogether. The production budget of Knock-Off’s first season has been estimated at 60 billion KRW ($40.95 million USD), and 10-20% of this entire amount is allocated as the actor’s fee. If Disney+ sues him, he might have to carry a substantial financial burden for damages.
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Industry insiders have provided insights into how much he might have to pay in the worst-case scenario. According to Koreaboo, if Knock Off gets scrapped altogether, Kim Soo-Hyun might have to pay a penalty of 18 billion KRW ($12.2 million USD) or more.
Disney, you can make back the money you lost from Snow White by cancelling Kim Pedo Soohyun’s project and make him pay the penalty fee. pic.twitter.com/DIPNqFxEhJ
— Ellee (@pluiedefeuilles) March 27, 2025
Kim soohyun was torturing the life out of saeron for 700m krw now knock his pants off with this penalty fee screw him over https://t.co/cCHiYjGfiW
— hotaru (@EternaliPromise) March 27, 2025
Kim Soo Hyun could face a lawsuit over Disney+’s “Knock-Off,” with penalties in the billions. GAROSERO also reveals messages: Kim Sae Ron “a 11th-grade student” sent him in 2018, and claims he deleted KakaoTalk, telling her to contact him on Telegram. #KimSooHyun #KimSaeRon pic.twitter.com/KinXYH1Zvi
— Katsudono (@ArcticStar14) March 19, 2025
Although this will pose a massive burden for the K-drama star, given that he is already dealing with many other terminated contracts, netizens are praying for his downfall. On online forums, many have commented that Disney+ should file a lawsuit against him. On theqoo, one user commented, “Please college a huge amount of penalty and make fun content with it.” Another wrote, “He earned so much during all this time. Disney, I hope you sue him for more.”
These reactions reflect the growing public backlash against the actor, who has been accused of many things so far. Meanwhile, the second season of Knock-Off was supposed to complete production soon. However, amid the controversy, the filming is also on hold, while many called for a recasting of the lead character, being played by Kim Soo-Hyun.
The scandal unfolded with the actor being accused of dating Kim Sae-Ron when she was a minor. Although his agency, GOLD MEDALIST, insisted that he only began seeing her when she was 19, many were unconvinced, especially with new purported evidence showing otherwise. In addition, one alleged close acquaintance of the late actress claimed that the actor had many affairs when he was in a committed relationship with her.
According to the claims, he was cheating on the Bloodhounds actress with two top girl group members. A new leaked chat also showed him allegedly sending lewd messages and videos to Kim Sae-Ron when she was just a minor. His agency is now taking legal action against what they claim is false information. However, the damage to his reputation has already been done, as many fear he will never be able to recover his image as a public figure.
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