Disney+ has postponed the release of the Korean drama “Knock-Off” starring actor Kim Soo-hyun who is embroiled in the controversy of allegedly dating the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.
"After careful review, we have decided to put on hold the release plan for 'Knock-Off,’” Disney+ announced on March 21, Korean media reported.
Disney+ originally scheduled to release “Knock-Off” in April. A press conference was also set to take place next month.
“Knock-Off" is Kim Soo-hyun’s debut acting project with Disney+. His co-star in the drama is actress Cho Boah. The drama centers on the murky world of counterfeit goods and follows Sungjun (Kim Soo-hyun), a man whose life is ruined in the wake of the ’97 Asian Financial Crisis, as he tries to rebuild his life by rising to the top of the counterfeit market scene.
Kim Soo-hyun kissing Kim Sae-ron (Screenshot from HoverLab video on YouTube)
Kim Soo-hyun and Cho Boah in "Knock-Off" (Disney+)
A Korean media outlet reported that most of the filming for seasons 1 and 2 of “Knock-Off” has been completed.
"We were originally planning to finish filming by April. Filming has been halted due to Kim Soo-hyun's unexpected controversy,” an official was quoted in the report as saying.
Kim Soo-hyun and Cho Boah attended the 2024 Disney APAC Content Showcase at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore last November to promote “Knock-Off.”
"Knock-Off" stars Kim Soo-hyun and Cho Boah, and director Park Hyun-seok at the 2024 Disney APAC Content Showcase at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore last November (The Walt Disney Company)
In addition, Korean TV network MBC’s entertainment program “Good Day,” starring G-Dragon, canceled the airing of the sixth episode on March 23 due to the controversy. Kim Soo-hyun is a guest in the program.
Kim Soo-hyun has been under public scrutiny since March 10 when YouTube channel HoverLab (Garosero Research Institute) uploaded videos accusing him of dating Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.
In response, Gold Medalist issued a statement, admitting that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she became an adult. The relationship was from 2019 to 2020.
Kim Sae-ron’s family provided Garosero Research Institute with a statement written by Kim Sae-ron when she uploaded a photo with Kim Soo-hyun in March last year.
In the statement, Kim Sae-ron wrote, “The photo posted in the story is from 2016, and the relationship lasted from November 19, 2015 to July 7, 2021. I am 16 years old and my partner is 30 years old. That was it. That's how the six-year relationship ended,” she wrote. Kim Soo-hyun was 27 at the time.
Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, is also accused of pressuring Kim Sae-ron to pay her debt amounting to 686.4 million won (about $474,000), which the company paid as penalty to the production company of the Netflix series “Bloodhounds.”
Her role in the series was minimized after she was involved in a drunk driving incident in May 2022.
Kim Sae-ron was found dead last Feb. 16, the birthday of Kim Soo-hyun, who earlier admitted that he dated her when she became an adult from 2019 to 2020.
She was under Gold Medalist but left the company following the drunk driving incident.
Gold Medalist filed a criminal complaint against the YouTube channel and Kim Sae-ron’s family after a photo of Kim Soo-hyun without pants was shown in a video.