Han So-hee sponsorship deals not renewed following news of relationship

Actor Han So-hee’s sponsorship deals with a number of brands have not been renewed after expiring in early March, despite the actor explaining that her relationship with fellow actor Ryu Jun-yeol began after he broke up with his ex-girlfriend Hyeri.

Actors Ryu Jun-yeol, left, and Han So-hee [NEWS1]

Actor Han So-hee’s sponsorship deals with a number of brands have not been renewed after expiring in early March, despite the actor explaining that her relationship with fellow actor Ryu Jun-yeol began after he broke up with his ex-girlfriend Hyeri.

Han’s advertising contract for the Chum Churum soju brand under Lotte Chilsung Beverage expired in early March, according to the company on Wednesday.

Lotte Chilsung Beverage did not renew its contract with Han after the one-year contract ended. The next face for the brand has not yet been chosen, according to industry insiders.

Nonghyup Bank also did not renew their contract with Han. Han had worked as the bank’s model for three years, from 2021 up until early March.

Nonghyup Bank found a new celebrity to be its model and will soon begin advertisement shoots, according to industry sources.

Secondhand car dealing platform hey dealer closed off the comment section for its YouTube ad featuring Han So-hee. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Secondhand car dealing platform hey dealer, another company Han modeled for, disabled the comment section on its YouTube advertisements after multiple people left comments criticizing Han, based on rumors that she started a relationship with Ryu before he broke up with Hyeri, his girlfriend of seven years.

This comes despite Han personally refuting the rumors, and both her and Ryu's agencies threatening to take legal action against defamatory comments.

Han and Ryu had been spotted in Hawaii together, according to local media reports on Friday. Drama first erupted after Hyeri posted an Instagram story the same day, after news broke, with the caption “this is fun” and unfollowed Ryu’s account. Han reacted with her own Instagram post, saying, "I do not like anyone with a lover, nor do I give them space or interest in the name of ‘friendship,’ nor do I interfere with other people’s relationships.”

Han uploaded a long message on her blog on Saturday morning confirming her relationship with Ryu and refuting the false information surrounding the relationship. In her now-deleted blog post, Han claimed to have met Ryu for the first time at his photo exhibition last November, months after Ryu broke up with Hyeri earlier that year, and began a romantic relationship with him early this year.

Both Han and Hyeri apologized to the public and to each other for making “emotional” comments publicly.

With rumors still escalating online, Han and Ryu’s agencies have vowed to take legal measures against defamatory and malicious comments.

BY JUNG SI-NAE, KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]