Kim Soo Hyun saw his career come to a halt after being accused in March 2025 by the family of late actress Kim Sae Ron of dating her when she was a minor and pressuring her to repay owed debt. Since then, both sides had been engaged in an exchange of allegations. Recently, South Korean media reported that prosecutors have requested the court for a warrant to detain Kim Se Ui, the media outlet that had exposed Kim Soo Hyun. Kim Sae Ron’s family’s legal representative, lawyer Bu Ji Seok, is also being viewed as a suspected accomplice.
Authorities concluded that previous allegations claiming the actor had dated Kim Sae Ron when she was still a minor were false, that said key chat records had been manipulated and fabricated, while an audio recording attributed to Kim Sae Ron was determined to be AI-generated. Police revealed that Kim Se Ui, the operator of the YouTube channel Hoverlab (Garo Sero Institute), allegedly obtained screenshots between Kim Sae Ron and an “unidentified individual” from the late actress’s family, then edited the conversations by changing the contact name to “Kim Soo Hyun” and replacing the profile photo. Investigators said separate alterations were made to create the appearance of private conversations between the two.
Authorities further stated that an audio recording presented during a May 2025 press conference, which claimed Kim Sae Ron had a sexual relationship with Kim Soo Hyun as a minor and alleged the actor attempted to pay to silence a whistleblower, was determined to be AI-generated. Kim Se Ui allegedly knew there was no romantic relationship between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron during her minor years, but still spread defamatory claims for traffic and financial gain.
Wendy
Can or would the courts take the money that Kim Se Ui earned from fabricating and spreading lies away from him? It seems to me that if you make money off a known lie then at the very least that money should be taken away. Also, Kim Se Ui should go to jail for that and lose the right to create ‘news’/media. He has proven himself willing to knowingly spread lies about someone to enrich himself; such a person no one should give attention to as he’s proven himself untrustworthy and maliciously evil with greed. Unfortunately there always seems to be people like that; neighbors who gossip and discuss neighbors; rumormongers at work or in school or church telling all kinds of lies, etc. I really think it’s some kind of disorder; I don’t understand the point of going out of one’s way to harm another with words you don’t need to say. Just write fiction and harm no one!
Drama Fan
Whilst I acknowledge the Court’s findings and note Kim Se Ui”s dishonesty and unlawful methods in this matter. I don’t believe Kim Soo Hyun is completely innocent in this matter. The family’s accusations, photos of him and her and her death by suicide on his birthday all paint a very unfavourable picture of him. He was my favourite actor after MLFAS and always had such a good public image. But after this case. My impression of him is forever tainted.
Dee
Still a horrible human ! This man is not innocent he may not have slept with her underage but what about everything else ? Are there no actors anymore in Korea ?
Applefish
lol, based on the 2 comments in this article, it’s clear there is no comeback for him, even if all of this turns out to be 100% false. like the court said he didn’t sleep with her underage, n ppl r like so what?! He did other horrible things 😒 do name other horrible things. If you meant he forced her to pay her debts, unless I misunderstood the article, it said that was also fabricated, there was no concrete and reliable evidence that he forced her to pay her debts?!
N I’m not even his fan, I haven’t seen any of his hits, apart from it’s ok to not be ok. But I have never Been one who jump in the hate wagon like everyone, but that maybe because I never care for him to start with. Long story short, innocent or not, he won’t come back, n ppl like those who falsely accused him will still be doing this is because of precisely of ppl like those commentors who still despite the actor without concrete evidences 🙄
Applefish
Also let once again forget about the netizens that cyber bully her or any actors n actresses for 1 mistake they made in their lives! 🙄 for Kim Sae Ron, it was the DUI, imagine if they let her go back to work after, she would have a mean to repay her debts. Imagine if ppl actually be nice to her when she was trying to do honest job to earn money to repay her debts. Along the way, ppl were mean n have no remorse in causing her death, n other just want a name to put that hate on them, it’s a vicious circle, n u r part of the problem 🙄😒
Drama Fan
@Applefish it’s interesting that you mention Kim Sae Ron and that if she had been allowed to return to work, she would have had the means to repay her debt/s ( owed to her management company). I’d like to point out that a life has been lost- KSR’s and her employer was Gold Medallist managed by Kim Soo Hyun and his cousin or something similar. The expectation would be that her management would protect and help her would it not? Yet, she made the decision to end her life. I am not minimising the harm netizens, cyber bullying and everything else had on her or placing blame on KSH. But if she felt supported and protected by those closest to her she may not have chosen the path she did.
Applefish
Actually she has projects line up, but due to the intense bullies online, investors kick her out of the project. Managing company cant do much if investors don’t see u as a potential cash cow? Like you don’t see those artist companies drop artists fast, especially with DUI, only in South Korea n only to female artists, because knetz have that much power, that’s why we have so many commit suicide. N u also forgot the 2nd part of my “if she was able to work”, I’m talking about her cafe job. Reported she got bullied by her workplace coworkers, managers n customers. N that shows it’s by n large it’s the South Korean culture 😒
Applefish
She had movies/dramas lined up, but the investors dropped her due to the amount of backlash/cyber bullies from netizens. Her management company didnt just drop support, they were with her a few years afterwards, but what can they do if investors don’t want her? If she gets anything, knetz would be on her, because knetz have that much power, that’s why we have so many commit suicide. N u also forgot the 2nd part of my “if she was able to work”, I’m talking about her cafe job. Reportedly she got bullied by her workplace coworkers, managers n customers. N that shows it’s by n large it’s the South Korean culture. It’s not just KSH, it’s not just the industry, but the key fact here is even the normal ppl r a bunch of bullies. Other countries, the celebrities retire would able to get a normal life, South Korea though, highway or graveyard for celebrity 😖
Applefish
Also I would like to point out her family was not as scrutinised as KSH, they should be equally blamed, but do u see the backlash on them? No. Not back then when they pushed the underage KSR to film mirror of the witch with 30+ yo actor. Not even now when the court ruled those photos they released was doctored! 🤦♀️ I’m not advocating for KSH, I’m advocating for ppl to not be so fast on jumping on the hate train n be a sheep.
rayofsunshine
after all this, I don’t think I can watch his series or movie. anyway…I have not been watch K-drama much, except for detective series. idols series etc am all dropping.too old for drama in my life now.
soom
That “lawyer’ and content creator (that phrase says it all) are nothing more than digitally-enabled CON MEN, Grifters, and her family also willingly went along with the whole scheme, probably for their OWN financial gain from hoped-for settlements.
The collateral damage from these kinds of celebrity scams does untold damage across society, beyond the monetary hardships.
Whatever happened to common sense doubt and skepticism. Knet-haters are allowing themselves to be used a s pawns in these Scandal-Wars-Of-Words.
Yamapisukii
Not some of ya’ll vouching for a pedophile through and through. He don’t know ya’ll and can care less. The fact that ya’ll still trust a man in this and day age are laughable especially when they keep showing who they really are. 🤮
Dee
I’m surprised that after everything people stand by him it’s crazy they had picture that were verified him sending her lingerie videos and everything else yet people are still like but he is fine though ! There are 1000’s of other non problematic Korean actors pic one
Applefish
Verified by who? I’m not vouching for him, I’m vouching for the court system. Because keep in mind, we had an innocent actor committed suicide (the parasite actor), because of false allegations, n the police was in on it. I trust the court system, because without that, we have nothing. I was never his fans, nor do I watch that many kdrama a a year for that to be my problem, so whether he’s back to filming or not, ain’t my concern, n his face isn’t attractive to me, but u think however u like to think 🙄 I’m just here pointing out this kind of behaviours is what n how exactly KSR couldn’t make a comeback, earn any money n get out of the hole That she was in.
Applefish
lol, don’t need cryptic talk, be a man or a woman, afterall u r hiding behind the screen. No one is vouching for him, do point out which poster is vouching for him. The most you get on this page is me n another saying the damaging problem false/havent-been-proven-to-be-authentic-and-accurate it caused for ppl.
But if u were adamant that I’m vouching for him, then again, let me say this for ppl who seem to have comprehension problem: I don’t know him, nor do I need him to know me or what I wrote. You can insert another big celebrity n I would say the same thing. (At the same time, do point out which sentence I say that was “vouching for him” 😒). Why big? Because you can see that media hate train running full steam ahead (the bigger the star, the more money the gossip sell 🙄), n ppl just didnt stop n think. Johnny Depp got it, the trial proven he was innocent, yet ppl would go: he was abusive, too. Not he’s responding to a manipulative spouse 😒. Or he was a cheater n therefore he deserve it! He was never innocent, not in the malicious netizens’ eyes 😒 not in those keyboard warrior’s hands 😒 N he hasn’t recovered either.
I have never liked a celebrity enough to hate on them (when their crimes are exposed), nor blindly supporting them. I say what I saw, n what I saw is ppl just love to jump on the hate wagon. If that what makes your life worth living, do go ahead, I’m not stopping u. I’m just here voicing my opinions, instead of following the masses like a sheep 🙄😒 or should I shut up like u wish? Keep in mind these sort of “pressure to shut up” is also why no one show their support for KSR after her DUI. If the public is strongly favour the negative side, no wonder that girl cant find a space to lift her head up n dig herself out of this hole 😒
Yamapisukii
I ain’t reading all of that. I said what I said.
Tristin
Whether or not he can recover from this remains to be seen. The law is the law. It’s illegal to frame people. But his image is already tainted. He used to have a squeaky clean image. There are icky details about their relationship that is hard to overcome like KSR chose to die on his birthday!!! OMG, that is the biggest curse that she can place on him for a lifetime. It’s okay to not be okay was my favorite K-drama now I can’t even rewatch it!!