Kim Soo-hyun at The Fact Music Awards: An 18-Month Road Back

An all-black suit, a trophy meant for someone else, and a few lines at a microphone in Busan. That was Kim Soo-hyun at The Fact Music Awards on September 19, 2026: a presenter slot for the TMA Popularity Award, and his first official appearance at a domestic event since his press conference in March 2025 — about a year and a half, per StarNews and Sports Chosun. It was not an acting return, and none of the reports mention a new drama or film. It was the Korean leg of a comeback that had already started abroad, and the dated record below shows the order it happened in.

What Kim Soo-hyun actually did at The Fact Music Awards

The 2026 TMA ran on the afternoon of September 19 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Yeonje-gu, hosted by Jeon Hyun-moo and Girls' Generation's Seohyun, according to Insight. The organizing committee had announced Kim as a presenter on August 28, as Soompi reported that day. Maeil Business counted 17 acts on the lineup, among them RIIZE, NMIXX, ILLIT, CORTIS, ALLDAY PROJECT, TREASURE and Lim Young-woong.

He walked out in an all-black suit. His opening, in Sports Chosun's English translation: "Today, I am standing here as a presenter, but I am also someone who loves K-pop." K-pop, he went on, "has grown by embracing our emotions and stories, becoming a culture that fans around the world can enjoy, empathize with and communicate through, transcending borders and languages." Then the award itself: "The award I am presenting today is a special one made possible by fans around the world. I am also happy to share this glorious moment."

The winner was Lim Young-woong. Kim handed him the trophy personally, and the two exchanged polite greetings. Lim spent his speech on his fans — "I would like to thank my 'Young-woong Era' family once again. I am grateful and love you," per StarNews. Sports Chosun described Kim as somewhat thinner than before but smiling throughout, and host Jeon Hyun-moo thanked him for joining as a presenter.

Look at what the reported lines leave out: nothing about acting, nothing about the past eighteen months, nothing about what comes next. An actor spoke at a music show about music and about fans. As a first stage back in Korea, that is about as narrow a brief as exists.

The Kim Soo-hyun return, dated: from Sangam-dong to Busan

The timeline. Rebuilt from the five reports cited here, in order, each step dated only as precisely as a source dates it:

• March 2025 — Kim effectively halts his activities after allegations that he had been in a relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron since she was a minor. His side acknowledges the relationship but says it began after she became an adult.
• March 31, 2025 — a press conference at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, where, according to Insight, he tearfully asserted his innocence. Until Busan, it was his last official appearance in Korea.
• Afterwards — he files complaints, including for defamation, against the head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon) and against the late actress's bereaved family.
• May 2026 — his side says the KakaoTalk messages released against him were forged from conversations with someone else and that a voice recording was AI-generated, Insight reported.
• July 2026 — police decide not to refer the bereaved family's complaint to prosecutors, citing insufficient evidence; StarNews names the Seoul Seongdong Police Station. Prosecutors request no supplementary investigation or reinvestigation.
• July 2026 — overseas work resumes in the Philippines, which Insight identifies as an ad shoot for the Philippine brand Bench.
• August 23, 2026 — special guest on "Mahakarya RCTI 37", the live 37th-anniversary broadcast of Indonesia's RCTI, where, per Maeil Business, he sang "Dreaming" from Dream High himself.
• August 28, 2026 — TMA organizers announce him as a presenter.
• September 19, 2026 — the Busan stage.

Laid end to end, the order is plain. The police decision and the first overseas work both landed in July; Indonesia followed in August; Korea came last, after two foreign stops. Nine entries, and the Korean stage is the final one.

Where the legal record stands

The cases sit at different stages, so precision matters.

• The bereaved family's complaint against Kim (alleged Child Welfare Act violations and other offenses): not referred to prosecutors by police in July, for insufficient evidence; prosecutors requested no further investigation.
• The head of Garosero Research Institute, who raised the allegations: indicted in custody on charges including defamation by spreading false information, per Sports Chosun and StarNews. An indictment is a charge, not a verdict.
• MIDO's lawsuit: the Swiss watch brand sued for about 570 million won over the cancelled ad contract. According to Insight, the court dismissed it, and the ruling became final after neither side appealed.

What comes next, and what nobody has announced

Two dates are on the books. In October he holds a fan meeting in the Philippines, according to Insight. On December 5-6 he attends Asia Artist Awards 2026 at National Stadium in Kaohsiung, which both Sports Chosun and StarNews report.

What is not on the books is the thing a drama audience waits for: none of the reports mention a new drama or film. His earlier credits are gathered on our Kim Soo-hyun actor page; for what did air this year, our best K-dramas of 2026 so far is the ranking. On the music side, the newer acts on the TMA bill, such as ALD1, sit in our guide to 2026's new K-pop groups, and what the night's performers release next is in the October comeback calendar.

Mina's Take

A presenter slot is the gentlest re-entry an awards show can offer: a minute about fans, a trophy that belongs to someone else, and a host who thanks you on the way off. I don't read that as a small step — I read it as a precise one. Every stop on the timeline so far has been a stage built around something else: a brand, a broadcaster's anniversary, a singer's trophy. The step still missing is the one that matters to anyone who watches dramas — a role where the audience has to accept him as somebody else. My call, checkable on December 6: no new drama or film is announced before he walks into AAA in Kaohsiung. If one is, the industry is further along than these stage choices suggest.