Since the public opinion about Kim Seon-ho’s ‘private life’ scandal has changed, some brands have decided to put his ads back on their channels
Actor Kim Seon-ho, who has been embroiled in controversy over his private life due to his ex-girlfriend’s revelation, is returning to the advertising world as public opinion has changed. Lee Jin-ho, entertainment reporter-turned-YouTuber, predicted that Kim Sun-ho would not pay penalties for advertising brands’ damage.
On October 28th, Miima Mask, a mask brand that used Kim Seon-ho as an advertising model, changed the advertisement videos featuring Kim Seon-ho to public on its website, official YouTube, and Instagram. The brand previously switched all of the posts to private when Kim Seon-ho’s privacy issues broke out.
In this regard, an official from Miima Mask said, “Kim Seon-ho is at fault, but it is a matter between him and his girlfriend. We thought it was important to forgive him because he courageously apologized publicly and his ex-girlfriend accepted it,” he said. The official said, “Advertisers have been deleting advertisements or terminating contracts as soon as there is a problem with the model. At times like this, advertisers should make decisions from a neutral standpoint,” he added.
On the same day, Canon Korea also released a Kim Seon-ho Vlog video on its official YouTube channel. Previously, YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, a former entertainment reporter, said in a live broadcast on the afternoon of October 28th, “I know that no company has claimed a penalty from Kim Seon-ho.”
Lee Jin-ho said, “Since Kim Seon-ho is currently a rising actor and could earn at least 5 billion won in advertising fees, his penalties were expected to be large. However, people in the advertising industry said something different. There is no principle related to privacy issues in such advertising contracts. In fact, he would have to pay money if he commits a crime that causes social controversy. Most of the penalties are only charged for confirmed crimes.”
Regarding the reason why Kim Seon-ho’s commercial ads were taken down from the brands’ channels, he said, “It was the matter of trust”. Lee Jin-ho added, “After the scandal broke out, advertisers also asked for a statement from Kim Seon-ho’s company, but they didn’t receive a precise answer. They only took preemptive measures due to trust issue.”
Earlier, all advertisers turned their back on Kim Seon-ho after the actor got involved in a controversy over his private life due to a disclosure posted by his ex-girlfriend – A on an online community. At that time, A claimed that Kim Seon-ho forced her to get an abortion under the pretense of marriage then unilaterally notified a breakup. 3 days after being exposed, Kim Seon-ho admitted all his faults and apologized.
As soon as the scandal broke out, the advertisers which Kim Seon-ho was modeling for either deleted or turned to private all their promotional photos and videos featuring Kim Seon-ho. In particular, there were about 10 brands that Kim Seon-ho signed to be a model at that time, including Miima Mask, Domino Pizza, 11th Street, nau, Canon Korea, Food Bucket, LA ROCHE-POSAY, and Shinhan MyCar.
Currently, more revelations and reports related to Kim Seon-ho’s ‘private life’ scandal are still being released, leading to a battle of finding the truth. On October 26th, Dispatch reversed the whole situation by revealing A’s real name, details of A’s divorce and her relationship with Kim Seon-ho, then claimed that A’s disclosure was not true.
Although no fact has yet been confirmed, the advertising industry and public opinion have changed their attitude towards Kim Seon-ho. Apart from Miima Mask and Canon Korea, attention is focusing on the moves of other brands that Kim Seon-ho models for.
