According to Lotte Chilsung Beverage on March 20th, Han So-hee’s contract as the model for the soju brand “Chum-Churum” expired earlier this month. Actress Kim Ji-won will now take over as the new model.
The news of Han So-hee’s contract expiration with “Chum-Churum” garnered significant attention. Typically, in the liquor industry, once a model is selected for an advertisement, they often continue to work together for an extended period. However, Han So-hee did not extend her contract, which she had been appointed to in March last year, after only one year.
Previously, Suzy, who also worked as the model for “Chum-Churum”, continued for 4 years, while Lee Hyori lasted for 6 years and Shin Min-ah for 2 years.
Speculation arose that Han So-hee’s admission of her relationship with Ryu Jun-yeol might have become a hindrance to renewing her advertising contract. However, industry insiders offered a different perspective.
They suggested that the decision to renew advertising contracts is influenced more by the model’s activity status and communication, rather than their personal relationships.
In fact, an advertising industry insider revealed to My Daily on March 28th the reason behind the model replacement by “Chum-Churum”.
This insider stated, “I can’t say that dating is completely unrelated, but the process was the issue. Choosing a celebrity as a model is not only about appearance but also personality, overall activities and communication, which are considered more important.”
They further explained, “In Han So-hee’s case, the process of revealing her relationship was unilateral. She engaged in wars of words, disclosed her own unpleasant feelings unilaterally and eventually couldn’t bear the anger. Looking at it in the long run, her behaviors in this situation may recur when there are other issues as a model.“
Concluding, they remarked, “It is said that loyalty between the brand and the model is to stand by and embrace each other in any situation. However, her behaviors already clearly showed the bottom line. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the contract was not renewed.”
