THE premiere of “Knock-Off,” the upcoming dark comedy series starring Kim Soo-hyun and Jo Bo-ah, has been postponed amid the height of Kim’s ongoing controversy with the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
The postponement was confirmed by the K-drama’s production team to the Korean media outlet E-Daily on Friday, March 21.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to postpone the release of ‘Knock-Off,’” it said per a Soompi translation.
The statement came weeks after it was announced that production for “Knock-Off” will proceed as scheduled. The dates for its press conference and final stages of production, however, have yet to be announced, as of this writing.
The upcoming drama takes place during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis (known as the IMF Crisis in South Korea) where an office worker Kim Sung-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) finds himself struggling to make ends meet. He stepped into the world of counterfeit markets until he rose as the vice president of the fictional “Saemmul Market,” one of the bustling hubs for widespread counterfeit trade.
The rise of the counterfeit trade caught the attention of Kim’s ex-girlfriend Song Hye-jeong (Jo Bo-ah), a police officer tasked with tracking down the rise of counterfeit goods.
Kim has been making headlines after he was reported to having been in a relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was still a minor. His agency GoldMedalist’s alleged lack of helping Sae-ron during her DUI incident in 2022 was also criticized, though his label has denied the claims on multiple occasions.
However, the actress’ family remained firm with their allegations against the actor. The issue has then sparked concern among Korean and international fans, with Sae-ron’s family eyeing to take legal action against the actor.
Kim is one of the highest-paid actors in South Korea, and is best known for his lead roles in “My Love from the Star,” “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay,” “Queen of Tears,” and “Dream High,” to name a few. (Hannah Mallorca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
