Actor Kim Soo-hyun to make first big public appearance in South Korea since scandal
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Actor Kim Soo-hyun will attend The Fact Music Awards 2026 in Busan as a presenter on Sept 19.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
- Actor Kim Soo-hyun will make his first big public appearance in South Korea in about 1½ years at The Fact Music Awards 2026 on Sept 19.
- His return follows a police decision not to prosecute him over allegations related to a relationship with late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was allegedly a minor.
- Kim denies dating Kim Sae-ron while she was underage, stating their relationship began in 2019 after she became an adult.
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SEOUL - Actor Kim Soo-hyun is set to make his first official public appearance in South Korea in roughly 1½ years.
Kim will attend The Fact Music Awards 2026 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium as a presenter on Sept 19.
The The Fact Music Awards is an offline music awards ceremony hosted by Korean media outlet The Fact.
The ceremony follows editions held in Osaka, Japan, in 2024 and in Macau in 2025.
Kim has already been making limited public appearances overseas after more than a year away from the spotlight.
Kim on Aug 23 made his first television appearance since March 2005, as a special guest on Mahakarya RCTI 37, a live programme celebrating the 37th anniversary of RCTI, one of Indonesia’s leading privately owned free-to-air television networks.
Kim also filmed a commercial for a Philippine fashion brand on July 14, in his first official work engagement since March 2025.
His gradual return to the public eye follows a police decision in July not to refer him for prosecution over allegations under the Child Welfare Act.
He became embroiled in controversy in March 2025 after claims emerged that he had been in a relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor.
At an emergency press conference on March 31, 2025, Kim categorically denied having dated Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor, as well as allegations involving debt-related pressure and other claims surrounding their relationship.
Kim said the two had dated for about a year beginning in 2019, when Kim Sae-ron was an adult.
Kim Sae-ron’s family nevertheless filed a criminal complaint against Kim in May 2025, accusing him of dating her while she was underage and violating the Child Welfare Act.
Kim’s side acknowledged that the two had been in a relationship but maintained that it began after she became an adult. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK