A court has told Cuckoo Electronics, a company famous for its rice cookers, to explain why it is suing actor Kim Soo-hyun for 2 billion won ($1.4 million), saying the company needs to be clearer about its claims.

The Seoul Central District Court held the first hearing Friday in a civil case filed by Cuckoo Electronics, Cuckoo Homesys and its Malaysian affiliate Cuckoo International (MAL) Berhad against Kim and his agency Goldmedalist.


Kim had served as an exclusive model for Cuckoo Electronics for a decade. Earlier this year, the company suspended its advertisements featuring the actor and later filed the lawsuit following public backlash over allegations that Kim had been in a romantic relationship with the late actor Kim Sae-ron while she was still a minor.

During the hearing, the court told the plaintiffs that their claims needed to be more specific.

“The plaintiffs said the contract was terminated due to a breakdown of trust,” the court said. “The plaintiffs must clarify whether that breakdown was mutual or attributable to the defendant.”

The court also asked the plaintiffs to specify what actions by Kim constituted grounds for terminating the contract.

Regarding the damages calculation, the court said, “The scope of compensation would differ depending on whether the breakdown of trust was mutual or due to fault on one side” and requested that the plaintiffs organize and refine their arguments.

The court also stated that simply citing “negative publicity making it difficult to continue advertisements” would not be sufficient grounds for termination.

On the issue of the alleged relationship with a minor, the court said, “Whether the allegation is true is a prerequisite for judgment,” and asked the plaintiffs whether they intended to proceed with the civil case before the conclusion of any related criminal investigation.

Cuckoo Electronics said Kim’s damaged image and the termination of the advertisement campaign were not just because of the allegations. The company added that “a loss of trust alone was enough to end the contract” and that it didn’t need to wait for the results of a criminal investigation.

Kim’s side countered that the plaintiffs had not clearly specified which of his actions violated the contract and asked them to detail which aspects of Kim’s response to the controversy were allegedly inadequate.

The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2026.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]