Claims: "Never Pressured the Deceased to Repay Agency Debt"
Actor Kim Soo-hyun, who had remained silent about the recent privacy controversy, is making a statement at the Stanford Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul on March 31, 2025. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
Actor Kim Soo-hyun denied allegations that he dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and broke down in tears. He also announced that he would take legal action against the bereaved family and others.
On the afternoon of the 31st, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference with his agency’s legal representative at a hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and opened by saying, "First of all, I am sorry. Because of me alone, many people are suffering, and it seems the deceased cannot rest peacefully, which makes me feel heartbroken."
He said, "I consider myself a coward. I was always only desperate to protect what I had. I was always afraid of losing something, afraid of being harmed, so I kept running away and denying everything. That is why it took me a long time to stand here today." He added tearfully, "Every time my private life was exposed, I kept thinking, 'Tomorrow, I will just tell everything,' 'Let’s end this hellish situation.'"
Kim Soo-hyun stated, "The late and I dated for about a year, five years ago, which was four years before 'Queen of Tears' aired." Regarding his previous denial of the relationship, he said, "There were many things I had to protect as the lead actor, and whenever the choices of Kim Soo-hyun the human and Kim Soo-hyun the star conflicted, I chose Kim Soo-hyun the star. But even if I could go back to the time when 'Queen of Tears' was airing, I would make the same choice again."
On the 10th, the bereaved family of Kim Sae-ron claimed through a YouTube channel A that the deceased dated Kim Soo-hyun for six years starting in 2016 when she was a minor at age 15. In response, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency stated, "They dated from the summer of 2019, after the deceased became an adult, until the fall of 2020." Subsequently, the bereaved family released KakaoTalk conversations from 2016 between the two, asserting that the relationship during her minor years was true.
Regarding the KakaoTalk conversations released by the bereaved family, Kim Soo-hyun rebutted, "The bereaved family is framing me as a pedophile and a groomer of a minor. However, the person conversing with the deceased in the 2016 and 2018 KakaoTalk messages is different." He continued, "To prove the facts, I submitted the 2016 and 2018 KakaoTalk messages provided by the bereaved family, as well as messages I exchanged with acquaintances this year, to a scientific verification agency for analysis. The agency concluded that the individuals in the 2016 and 2018 messages are not the same person."
He said, "Since the bereaved family’s revelations began, the most painful thing is that whenever my agency and I respond to their evidence, new recorded testimonies and evidence suddenly emerge. Photos and videos with cleverly altered timelines, and edited KakaoTalk images rather than originals, are presented as evidence. Fake testimonies and fake evidence continue to be used as leverage to claim that I dated the deceased," he sobbed.
Actor Kim Soo-hyun, who had remained silent about the recent privacy controversy, is making a statement at the Stanford Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul on March 31, 2025. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
Kim Soo-hyun said, "I will accept any criticism for the choices I made. But I cannot admit to things I did not do. I ask the bereaved family to submit their evidence to the police if it is true and to undergo all legal verifications."
Kim Jong-bok, the legal representative of Kim Soo-hyun’s agency Golden Medalist, stated, "We have filed a complaint against the bereaved family of the deceased, an unidentified person claiming to be an aunt, and the operator of YouTube channel A for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation)." He added, "We also filed a lawsuit today at the Seoul Central District Court seeking damages totaling approximately 12 billion KRW."
The bereaved family of Kim Sae-ron also claim that after her 2022 drunk driving accident, they pressured Kim Soo-hyun psychologically by sending two certified letters demanding repayment of 700 million KRW in drama penalty fees that he paid on her behalf. On this day, Golden Medalist explained that the certified letters were not intended as repayment pressure but were measures taken out of concern that agency executives might be liable for breach of duty.
Kim Soo-hyun reiterated, "It is not true that the tragic choice was made because my agency pressured the deceased for debt due to my neglect." He added, "Apart from the fact that we are both actors, the deceased and I were ordinary lovers like anyone else. We met with good feelings for each other and eventually parted ways after some time."
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