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| ▲ Actor Kim Soo-hyun speaks during a press conference in Seoul on March 31, 2025. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) — Actor Kim Soo-hyun and his agency Gold Medalist have filed additional criminal complaints for defamation against the operators of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute (Gaseyeon) and the family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron, his legal representatives announced on Friday.
Law firm LKB & Partners, representing Kim and his agency, stated that Kim Se-eui, a Gaseyeon host, has been reported for violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (related to defamation) and the Stalking Punishment Act. The late actress’s family has also been reported for defamation under the same information protection law.
LKB claimed that during a press conference held on May 7, Kim Se-eui "spread baseless and absurd falsehoods," stating, "His remarks are completely fabricated and lack even a sliver of truth."
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| ▲ Actress Kim Sae-ron appears for a sentencing trial at the Seoul Central District Court on April 5, 2023. (Yonhap) |
The firm also alleged that Kim used a forged audio recording and images downloaded from the internet to make “groundless and malicious claims” against Kim Soo-hyun. “This represents an egregious criminal act, far more serious than any of his previous offenses,” the firm said.
"We will do everything in our power to ensure that both Kim Se-eui and Kim Sae-ron's family face due punishment according to law and principle," LKB emphasized.
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| ▲ The portrait and memorial tablet of actress Kim Sae-ron are being moved to the hearse during the funeral ceremony at the funeral hall of Seoul Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Feb. 19, 2025, in this press pool photo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Since March, Garo Sero Institute has repeatedly quoted statements allegedly from Kim Sae-ron’s family, claiming the actress had been in a romantic relationship with Kim Soo-hyun from the age of 15 for six years.
In a press conference held on May 7, Kim Se-eui and the late actress’s family announced they had filed a criminal complaint against Kim Soo-hyun for violating the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities. They also released a voice recording—reportedly reenacted using voice actors—purportedly based on a conversation the deceased had with a friend, in which she stated she had dated Kim since middle school until college.
Kim’s agency immediately denied the validity of the recording, stating it had been fabricated, and announced legal action in response.
Last month, Kim Soo-hyun publicly acknowledged having dated Kim Sae-ron but firmly denied any relationship during her minor years. He has since filed defamation lawsuits against both Kim Se-eui and the actress’s family for spreading false information.
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