Actor Kim Soo Hyun has officially signaled his return to the entertainment industry after a hiatus of one year and four months. Recently, he confirmed his involvement in a new promotional campaign for the Philippine fashion brand BENCH, with plans to shoot a television commercial and photos in South Korea on July 14.

Last month, his management company, Gold Medalist, announced that Kim Soo Hyun would participate in the advertising shoot for BENCH on the same date. This marks the first time the actor has engaged in official activities since being embroiled in controversies stemming from allegations made by YouTuber Kim Se Ui.

Interestingly, BENCH had previously selected Kim Soo Hyun as its brand ambassador back in 2024. Despite the controversies surrounding him, the brand continued its partnership with the actor, making this collaboration particularly noteworthy.

Kim Soo Hyun had to suspend all activities for over a year due to significant damage caused by unfounded allegations from Kim Se Ui, who claimed that Kim Soo Hyun had dated the late actress Kim Sae Ron when she was still a minor. However, investigations revealed that the recordings and messages released by Kim Se Ui were fabricated, leading to his prosecution and detention for defamation and other charges.

Currently, Kim Soo Hyun has a project awaiting release, the original series "Knock-Off" on Disney+. This project was postponed last year due to the actor's personal controversies, and while developments regarding Kim Soo Hyun are progressing, the production team has yet to announce whether the series will be released.

On July 8, the brand Eider withdrew its initial compensation claim against Kim Soo Hyun, significantly reducing the amount from approximately 2.5 billion won to around 400 million won. This case marks the first instance where an advertiser has retracted a multi-billion won compensation claim against Kim Soo Hyun following Kim Se Ui's arrest, retaining only the request for reimbursement of contractual fees.