Thursday, July 16, 2026

Kim Soohyun has reportedly been flooded with various drama and film offers after officially resuming his entertainment activities for the first time in 16 months.

On the 14th, he quietly stepped back into the spotlight by filming a commercial for the Philippine fashion brand BENCH. He followed it up the very next day on the 15th with his first social media update since February of last year. Even though he didn't write a caption, he shared BENCH's official post featuring himself as the brand's model, signaling his official return to the public eye. 

Then, on the 16th, various Korean media outlets reported that Kim Soohyun has received offers for approximately 40 different film and drama projects, and he is currently carefully considering his next role. In addition to these acting offers, he has reportedly been receiving numerous collaboration proposals as well.

However, legal proceedings surrounding a controversy involving him are still ongoing. Between March and May of last year, Kim Se-ui, the person behind the Youtube channel Garo Sero Research Institute, repeatedly claimed through broadcasts and press conferences that Kim Soohyun had been in a relationship with the late actress Kim Saeron while she was a minor, presenting alleged audio recordings and KakaoTalk chat logs as evidence. 

Police investigations later concluded that the audio files had been fabricated using AI and that the chat logs had also been manipulated. As a result, Kim Se-ui was recently indicted and detained on multiple charges, including defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, violating the Anti-Stalking Act, violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, attempted coercion, and intimidation.

Following the conclusion of the police investigation, Kim Soohyun's agency released an official statement, saying, "We sincerely thank all the fans who have supported and stood by Kim Soohyun throughout this long period."

Meanwhile, the civil lawsuits filed against him by various advertisers, including Frombio, Cuckoo Electronics, Trendmaker, Classys, Eider, and Mido, are all still ongoing. Recently, Eider lowered its demand by dropping its initial 2.5 billion KRW claim for damage to its reputation. Instead, the company cut the amount down to around 400 million KRW, asking only for the return of the remaining model fees. With the court recommending that both sides reach a mutual settlement, everyone is now focused on the third court hearing, which is officially scheduled for August 26.

Kim Soohyun reportedly receives 40 acting offers following his return to the entertainment industry

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Youtuber Potato Turtle (whose real name is Song Jiyoon) just issued a public apology after uploading a highly controversial video where she showed up completely unannounced at BLACKPINK Jennie's agency building in an attempt to meet her.

As soon as the video was uploaded, the comment section was flooded with criticism. Netizens pointed out that showing up at a celebrity's private workplace unanounced is incredibly inappropriate and could make them feel unsafe. Many also said it resembles dangerous sasaeng fan behavior.

As the controversy grew, Potato Turtle quickly set the video to private and posted a formal apology on her social media on the 14th. She wrote:

"I sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable because of the video I recently uploaded. I've read every single comment and have been deeply reflecting on how thoughtless my actions were."

For context, the deleted video showed Potato Turtle documenting her attempt to check off one of the goals from her bucket list, which is to have coffee with Jennie.

To pull this off, she went straight to the headquarters of Jennie's one-person agency, OA Entertainment, where she repeatedly rang the building's doorbell without any kind of appointment, before finally leaving behind a letter and a bouquet of flowers. She also went to Jennie's concert while holding up a sign that read, "Jennie Unnie, would you like to have coffee with me?"

In her apology, she addressed both of these actions directly. She admitted, "I failed to realize that showing up at the company unannounced to deliver a letter and flowers could be perceived as sasaeng behavior," and explained that she was just trying to share her sincere feelings, but her approach was wrong. She added, "I was far too ignorant about idol fan culture. I will be much more careful in the future."

She also apologized for the sign at the concert, saying, "It was my first time attending a concert, so I didn't fully understand the proper concert etiquette," and promised to respect the rules moving forward and never repeat the mistake.

Potato Turtle also went on to explain the broader concept behind her Youtube channel, noting that she's currently taking on a challenge to complete 100 bucket list goals, stating, "While some goals like seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland are relatively achievable, other goals, like having coffee with Jennie, are realistically very difficult to accomplish." She continued:

"I wanted to challenge myself by attempting something that seemed impossible. I wanted to knock on the door and find my own way. Of course, I never actually believed that visiting the company or attending a concert would result in me having coffee with Jennie."

She also mentioned that the direction of her videos was heavily influenced by international content creators. She explained, "I often reference overseas content when making videos. It's pretty common to see creators making content where they give celebrities a shout-out, so I wanted to express my sincere feelings as well," and added, "However, I was shortsighted. I truly apologize for making so many people so uncomfortable."

She also shut down the accusations that she only did this for the views. She emphasized, "It's absolutely not true that I used Jennie just to create content. I simply wanted to express my sincere feelings as a fan who genuinely likes Jennie. I hope my true intentions aren't completely overshadowed by my poor judgment."

Youtuber Potato Turtle issues an apology after controversial attempt to meet BLACKPINK's Jennie