TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The highly anticipated appearance of South Korean superstar Kim Soo-hyun (金秀賢) at Taiwan's premier spring celebration has been abruptly canceled. Organizers of the 2025 Kaohsiung Sakura Festival (高雄櫻花季) announced the withdrawal on Tuesday (March 25), following days of intensifying controversy surrounding the actor. The sudden cancellation has disappointed thousands of fans who had planned to attend the southern Taiwan event specifically to see the popular Korean celebrity.
Corporate giant Uni-President Group (統一集團), the festival's primary sponsor, confirmed Kim's removal from the Sunday program amid growing public discourse. The controversy centers on what would have been Kim Soo-hyun's first major public engagement since becoming embroiled in a scandal connected to the late South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron (金賽綸). The sensitive nature of the controversy has reverberated across Asian entertainment circles, ultimately forcing organizers to reconsider the actor's participation in the high-profile Taiwanese cultural event.
The corporation made the official announcement via social media platforms, employing carefully measured language that attributed the cancellation to "a schedule adjustment" for the Korean star. According to the initial program, Kim Soo-hyun had been slated as the marquee attraction for the festival's closing night on Sunday, with his appearance scheduled after a performance by popular Taiwanese band Power Station. Festival plans had included a 40-minute fan meeting beginning at 9:20 p.m., an event that had generated substantial ticket demand and social media buzz across the region.
The planned appearance had already attracted considerable press coverage across Asia, with media organizations in both Taiwan and South Korea closely following developments. South Korean entertainment news source "sports.khan" had previously published details of Kim's travel arrangements, reporting that the actor would fly from Incheon International Airport to Kaohsiung Xiaogang Airport on the day of the event. The original itinerary called for a brief one-day visit to Taiwan, underscoring the exclusive nature of the appearance that has now been canceled.