Strong allegations against Korean star Kim Soo Hyun (김수현) have been piling up lately, each one worse than the last. His scandal involving the late Kim Saeron has left many outraged and has even led to global brands facing boycotts due to their partnership with the actor.
Reports have surfaced that several brands have been gradually removing his images from their social media, official websites, and physical advertisements. However, only a few have spoken publicly about their decision to cut ties with the celebrity. CUCKOO China is reportedly the latest brand to take this action. Here’s what they said:
Kim Soo Hyun has been a brand ambassador for CUCKOO Malaysia since November of last year. The actor was only recently appointed as CUCKOO China’s new ambassador earlier this month, but that partnership was short-lived. On Tuesday (18th March), CUCKOO China issued an official statement on their Weibo account to address the current situation with the 37-year-old. The company has decided to suspend all promotional activities related to him.
“We will immediately suspend all promotional activities related to Kim Soo Hyun and replace all image materials featuring him on official social media platforms. We will halt all marketing plans involving him and form a special task force to continuously monitor the progress of the situation,” the brand wrote. Although reports have suggested that CUCKOO China has terminated their contract with the “Queen of Tears” star, this was not explicitly mentioned in the statement. It remains unclear whether Kim Soo Hyun will be reappointed as ambassador once his legal case has been settled.
Regardless, this news has led many to wonder whether CUCKOO Malaysia will take the same action of removing Kim Soo Hyun as their brand ambassador. As seen in the comments section of the brand’s social media page, many have been urging them to end their partnership with the actor and have requested the removal of his images. The last time CUCKOO Malaysia posted an advertisement featuring Soo Hyun’s image was earlier this month when they were promoting their Raya Gift Set.
At the time of writing, CUCKOO Malaysia has yet to address the current situation involving the Korean star, but fans will undoubtedly be on the lookout and monitoring the brand’s promotional activities. Do you think CUCKOO Malaysia should drop Kim Soo Hyun as ambassador?
Update (22nd March)
Just a few days after CUCKOO China issued a statement, CUCKOO Malaysia finally followed suit and addressed their partnership with Kim Soo Hyun. Full statement below:
Sources: Weibo, DimsumDaily, Instagram
