In March 2014, during a fan meeting at Bangkok's Paragon Dome, South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun reportedly made an unexpected request to play badminton late at night within the event venue. This request led to significant last-minute changes in the event's setup, causing inconvenience to staff members and event organizers.
The fan explained: "He wanted to play badminton late at night, ordered everything to be torn down for a court, then had it reset. He did this multiple times." According to the fan, Kim Soo Hyun even mentioned this as a joke during the fan event.
The staff quickly created a makeshift badminton court by marking the boundaries with tape and renting a net from a nearby facility, After approximately an hour of playing, the staff was tasked with restoring the original setup in preparation for the next scheduled activities.
Another online user corroborated this, stating that the individuals pushing the carts to set up the badminton court were Kim Soo Hyun's employees and that they had to work overtime to fulfill his request.
Hold on The people pushing carts and walking back and forth? Those are my office staff. We had to wait for them to finish playing badminton before we could continue working. Worked till morning, booked a hotel just to shower, then went straight back to work without any sleep.😓 pic.twitter.com/HDzaBwTK8Q
— Kwang4Siwan (@Kwang4Siwan) March 13, 2025
A Korean netizen revealed that this incident first gained attention in 2016 when a gossip forum discussed a celebrity who allegedly misused his influence to have a badminton court set up and was known for mistreating local staff during his overseas schedules.
Top star 'A' may appear diligent and well-mannered, but insiders say he actually has quite an eccentric/diva side. He enjoys immense popularity overseas, and while traveling abroad for promotions, he frequently calls local guides and event staff, even at odd hours like 2 or 3 AM, despite having his agency’s manager accompanying him. One entertainment industry insider revealed, 'I don’t understand why he contacts local staff directly late at night instead of relaying his requests through his manager. He often causes unnecessary trouble.
At the time, the incident did not gain much traction in South Korean media, but local reports in Thailand criticized the situation as an abuse of power, While some defended Kim Soo Hyun, arguing that he may not have been fully aware of the disruption caused, others pointed out that the situation reflected poor planning and a lack of consideration for the event staff.
In March 2025, discussions about the event resurfaced online, with netizens revisiting the incident and expressing surprise and disappointment over the actor’s past behavior, The controversy sparked debates about celebrity privilege and the responsibilities of public figures when making special requests that could affect others.
ALERT ⚠
It is important to note that the primary source of this information comes from a post on the Korean online community theqoo, later translated by Pannchoa. As with any user-generated content, the accuracy and context may vary, and readers are encouraged to consider multiple perspectives before forming conclusions.
