YouTuber Lee Jin-ho Responds to Late Kim Sae-ron's Family's Lawsuit: "I Never Said It Was a Fabrication"

Lee Jin-ho Appeals, "I Never Once Claimed the Relationship Between Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun Was a 'Fabrication'"
"Gaseyeon May Face Up to 7 Years in Prison for Violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act by Disclosing Kim Soo-hyun's Semi-Nude Photo Without Consent"

On the morning of the 19th of last month, at the funeral ceremony held at Seoul Asan Medical Center Funeral Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, the portrait and memorial tablet of actress Kim Sae-ron were being moved to the hearse. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron has filed a defamation lawsuit against journalist-turned-YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, who has now expressed his position on the matter.

On the 17th, Lee Jin-ho uploaded a video titled "My Position on the Lawsuit. I Will Reveal the Truth Until the End" on his YouTube channel 'Entertainment Vice President Lee Jin-ho.' In the video, Lee said, "I fully respect the position of the bereaved family who lost their child," but added, "However, there are many factual inaccuracies, and I want to correct these points."

YouTuber Lee Jin-ho is clarifying that he never stated the relationship between Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun was a "fabrication" or "falsehood." YouTube channel 'Entertainment Vice President Lee Jin-ho'

Lee Jin-ho strongly denied the claim made by Bu Ji-seok, the legal representative of Kim Sae-ron's family (from the law firm Buyu), who stated that "Although the relationship between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron is true, it was portrayed as a 'fabrication' by Kim Sae-ron." Lee emphasized, "I have never once stated in any video or broadcast that the relationship between Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun was a 'fabrication' or 'false'."

Lee also pointed out that the YouTube channel 'Garo Sero Research Institute' (hereafter 'Gaseyeon') may have violated the Sexual Violence Punishment Act by publicly sharing a semi-nude photo of a man without Kim Soo-hyun's consent, allegedly to refute his opinion. He warned that if found guilty, the penalty could be imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine of up to 50 million KRW. Furthermore, he drew a clear line by stating, "Gaseyeon spread false claims that I was acting under the orders of Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, to handle Kim Sae-ron's videos. This is a blatant falsehood."

He expressed frustration, saying that he was not affiliated with Gold Medalist at the time he was reporting on Kim Sae-ron and that "I have never once exchanged contact with them." He added, "The content covered in the broadcasts was based on thoroughly listening to Kim Sae-ron's side and is supported by evidence." Regarding the four videos related to Kim Sae-ron uploaded in the past three years, he said, "Not a single one was initiated by me. After Kim Sae-ron posted photos or updates on her SNS or after her status was revealed by other media, numerous articles were produced. I only covered related content through additional investigation after it became a social interest."

Photo of Kim Sae-ron working part-time at a cafe. Kim Sae-ron Instagram

Regarding the controversy over Kim Sae-ron's part-time job at a cafe, Lee explained, "After Kim Sae-ron posted related photos, the company stated that she had no work history there, causing misunderstandings about whether she was actually working part-time. However, I confirmed that Kim Sae-ron was indeed working part-time and have clarified this fact whenever covering related videos."

Lee claimed, "This all started when Kwon Young-chan, director of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association, who harbors ill feelings toward me, visited Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family. Gaseyeon then joined in." Lastly, Lee appealed, "My position that I have no face to show the bereaved family remains unchanged," but asked, "Please refrain from using provocative wording such as 'confirmation of the columbarium'."

He explained, "On the 21st of last month, I went to Kim Sae-ron's burial site in Paju to pay my respects with the minimum courtesy. However, I was informed by the columbarium staff that the family had placed the deceased elsewhere, so I had no choice but to contact her father because I wanted to say a final goodbye." He expressed frustration, saying, "A distorted frame is being created that I called the family to confirm the columbarium location."

Regarding allegations that he contacted the bereaved family during the mourning period, he clarified, "I called her father on the 20th of last month, the day after the funeral." He added, "I only conveyed my moral apology and my wish to meet in person to clear up misunderstandings. The claim that I called during the mourning period is absolutely false." He also stated, "I am preparing legal action against journalists who did not verify the facts on this matter."

On the 17th, Attorney Bu Ji-seok, head of the law firm Buyu representing the family of Kim Sae-ron, held a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to file a complaint against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. From left, Kwon Young-chan, director of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association, Attorney Bu, and Kim Se-ui, head of the Garosero Research Institute. Photo by Yonhap News.

Earlier on the 17th, Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family filed a defamation complaint against Lee Jin-ho with the police. Bu Ji-seok, the lawyer representing Kim Sae-ron's family, submitted the complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in the afternoon. The charge is defamation due to the spread of false information.

Lee Jin-ho had uploaded several videos on YouTube about Kim Sae-ron from after her drunk driving accident in 2022 until her death in February this year. The bereaved family claims that among these, the video alleging that Kim Sae-ron staged a 'fabrication' by posting photos implying a romantic relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun on SNS, despite not dating him, is false.

Lawyer Bu stated, "Lee Jin-ho not only denied the relationship between the two but also spread false information that made the deceased appear as a strange woman, causing severe mental distress." He added, "We plan to file additional lawsuits regarding other videos." He emphasized, "Lee Jin-ho has been deleting past videos since the deceased's death, which is a clear act of evidence destruction, and we urge for a search and seizure and arrest investigation." He further said, "The bereaved family had no choice but to reveal the relationship between the two to prove these falsehoods and had to disclose past photos for that purpose." He also mentioned, "We are considering legal action against Kim Soo-hyun's side as well."