South Korean home appliance giant CUCKOO, best known for its rice cookers, has launched multiple legal actions against popular actor Kim Soo Hyun, seeking damages totaling nearly 2.8 billion KRW (around $2.02 million) and requesting provisional seizure of his assets.
According to recent reports, Cuckoo Electronics — the main revenue driver for CUCKOO Holdings, accounting for over 90% of the group’s income — filed a provisional seizure petition on April 24. This petition targeted about 100 million KRW (approximately $75,000) of Kim Soo Hyun’s personal funds, including bank deposits and loan accounts. The Seoul Eastern District Court’s 52nd Civil Division approved this seizure on May 20.
On May 2, Cuckoo Electronics escalated the matter by filing a separate lawsuit seeking 850 million KRW (roughly $629,000) in damages from the actor. Kim Soo Hyun has been CUCKOO’s exclusive brand ambassador for over a decade, but controversies linked to his past relationship with late actress Kim Sae Ron have triggered public backlash and strained their partnership, prompting CUCKOO to accuse him of breaching their advertising agreement.
That same day, CUCKOO Electronics, along with CUCKOO Homesys (a rental service affiliate) and another CUCKOO Holdings subsidiary, jointly initiated an additional lawsuit against Kim Soo Hyun and his agency, Gold Medalist. This joint claim amounts to 2.03 billion KRW (about $1.49 million) and is being reviewed by the 22nd Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, separate from the earlier 850 million KRW lawsuit handled by the Seoul Eastern District Court.
Furthermore, on May 1, CUCKOO Homesys submitted a provisional seizure request of 50 million KRW (around $36,600) targeting Gold Medalist, which was approved by the Seoul Eastern District Court on May 27.
In a related but distinct case, a cosmetics company unaffiliated with CUCKOO Holdings filed a damages claim worth 501 million KRW (approximately $367,200) against Kim Soo Hyun and his agency on April 25.
This legal battle highlights a sharp deterioration in the long-standing relationship between CUCKOO and Kim Soo Hyun, evolving into a complex dispute involving multiple firms and significant financial stakes.
