Disney+ Addresses Kim Soo-hyun’s Drama Controversy Amid Ongoing Scandal
On March 31, 2025, a post shared on The Qoo, a popular South Korean online forum, revealed Disney+’s response to a complaint regarding the release of the drama series Knock Off> starring Kim Soo-hyun. This actor is currently facing allegations involving a controversial relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron, raising concerns about their past interactions when she was a minor.
The post quickly gained traction, accumulating over 100,000 views and featuring screenshots of Disney+’s communication. In their response, Disney+ clarified that Knock Off is absent from the streaming service’s current release schedule.
Despite remaining silent on the matter for some time, Disney+ chose to speak out following Kim Soo-hyun’s press conference on the same day, marking the first time the company addressed these concerns.
A translation of the post on The Qoo indicated that the original poster, or OP, mentioned:
“The response to the Disney+ Knock Off complaint email was ‘No release schedule.’ No matter how many complaints I sent, they were met with silence, but seeing the replies start coming in, it seems like today’s Kim Soo-hyun press conference didn’t sit well with Disney… Looks like a breach of contract lawsuit will start soon.”
During his press conference, Kim Soo-hyun vehemently denied the grooming allegations and the insinuations surrounding his relationship with Kim Sae-ron, indicating that the media attention following his statements might have prompted Disney+’s newfound decisiveness.
Details of the Press Conference
Kim Soo-hyun’s press conference took place at a hotel in Sangam-dong, Seoul, where he ardently denied dating Kim Sae-ron while she was underage and denied having any role in her tragic death.
During the event, he emphasized that any relationship was consensual between adults, clarifying his prior silence regarding rumors stemming from a photo of the two together posted in 2024. He expressed concern for the production team of his ongoing project, The Queen of Tears, stating that public discourse could adversely affect those involved. He articulated his feelings, noting:
“I am being pressured to confess to things I never did. They say, ‘You manipulated the deceased since she was a minor.’ ‘You pressured her with money and drove her to her death.’ ‘So, you are a murderer.'”
Furthermore, he contested claims regarding Kakao Talk messages shared by Kim Sae-ron’s family, asserting that he had engaged a forensic agency that verified the chats were fabricated.
Kim Soo-hyun’s attorney, Kim Jong-bok from LKB & Partners, announced that they had filed a defamation lawsuit against Kim Sae-ron’s family, including a woman claiming to be her aunt, and an online YouTube channel operator, in reaction to the allegations made against the actor.
He stated, as reported by The Korean Herald:
“We have also submitted a lawsuit against the bereaved family of Kim Sae-ron, Kim Sae-ron’s alleged ‘aunt’ and the operator of HoverLab seeking approximately 12 billion won ($8.1 million) in damages with the Seoul Central District Court.”
Compounding the situation, a YouTube channel named Garosero Research Institute released an unsettling video wherein Kim Sae-ron’s aunt alleged that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with her niece when she was merely 15 years old compared to his age of 27. The channel also accused him of financial coercion that reportedly led to Kim Sae-ron’s tragic decision to end her life.
In light of these developments, various brands, including Prada and Dinto, have severed ties with the actor amid the ongoing scandal.