Bench faced boycott threats for reviving Kim Soo-hyun's career as its endorser

Bench, a Filipino fashion and retail brand, had actor Kim Soo-hyun as an endorser since 2024. In early 2025, Kim Soo-hyun became embroiled in a personal scandal following the death of actress Kim Sae-ron, with whom he had been in a relationship. He went on hiatus for over a year. In June 2026, Bench announced that Kim Soo-hyun would shoot a promotional campaign for the brand in July, marking his first public activity since the controversy.

The announcement sparked immediate backlash. Netizens on X called Bench an 'enabler' and accused the brand of helping rehabilitate Kim Soo-hyun's image. Boycott threats spread rapidly, with users tagging the brand directly and calling for a consumer boycott. The controversy was compounded by Bench's own history — a 2014 fashion show called 'The Naked Truth' that had already drawn criticism for putting a woman on a leash.