Kim Soo-hyun's Side Reveals Letter to Real Girlfriend: "Not in a Relationship with Kim Sae-ron During Military Service"

Kim Soo-hyun's Lawyer Releases Military Love Letter
"Had a Different Girlfriend from 2016 to Spring 2019"

The representatives of actor Kim Soo-hyun, who has been suspected of having dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, have stated that the letter he wrote to her during his military service was not a love letter. To clarify this, they have released a letter that Kim Soo-hyun actually sent to his real girlfriend at the time. Their intention is to prove that his relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron was not romantic.

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 Jinhyung

Ko Sang-rok, a lawyer at the law firm Phil who is handling Kim Soo-hyun's criminal case, stated through a YouTube community post on the 30th, "Kim Soo-hyun had a real girlfriend whom he dated from 2016 until the spring of 2019. After enlisting in October 2017, Kim Soo-hyun completed basic training and then served in the front-line DMZ reconnaissance unit from January 2018 to July 2019. Throughout his military service, he called his girlfriend whenever he had the chance and wrote about his feelings for her every day."

Kim Soo-hyun is facing allegations that he dated Kim Sae-ron, who was a minor at the time, for several years. In March, the YouTube channel "Garo Sero Research Institute (Gaseyeon)" claimed that the late actress had been in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun for six years, starting when she was 15. They released photos and other materials as evidence, including images of Kim Soo-hyun kissing Kim Sae-ron on the cheek and a man believed to be Kim Soo-hyun washing dishes without pants.

In response, lawyer Ko stated, "If, as Gaseyeon claims, they dated for six years starting from her middle school years, it is difficult to explain why, over such a long period, there are no photos except those taken between December 2019 (her freshman year of college) and the following spring. Furthermore, in the videos released from their alleged relationship period, only scenes showing the actor being considerate and respectful toward the late actress are found, with no traces of the deviant pedophilic behavior alleged by Gaseyeon."

The letter that lawyer Ko released, which Kim Soo-hyun sent to his actual girlfriend on April 6, 2018, includes passages such as, "I really want to write your name... but I can't because I'm such a high-profile soldier. I really want to write your name. I love you. ... Later, I'll tell everyone that you did my military service for me."

Regarding the postcard that Gaseyeon presented as evidence of a relationship with the underage Kim Sae-ron, lawyer Ko countered, "They selectively quoted and distorted parts of the content to make it appear as if the actor was expressing romantic interest in the late actress. However, when viewed in full context, the letter is simply about the small emotions and resolutions he felt during his military life."

A letter actor Kim Soo-hyun actually sent to his lover, revealed by lawyer Ko Sang-rok of the law firm Phil. YouTube

Regarding the phrase "I miss you" in the letter Kim Soo-hyun wrote to the late actress on June 9, 2018, lawyer Ko explained, "This is the most common expression found in letters that soldiers write to acquaintances. The fact that the letter immediately concludes with plans for travel after discharge and intentions to return to acting further demonstrates that it was an ordinary letter sent to an acquaintance during military service, not a special correspondence between lovers."

He continued, "All the objective materials that have been released consistently support that the relationship between Kim Soo-hyun and the late actress began in the summer of 2019 and ended the following year. The postcard Kim Soo-hyun sent on November 1, 2019, was also written when the late actress was already an adult, and expressions such as 'I will care for you by nagging a lot from now on' and 'Even if we argue, I will apologize first and let you win' are typical phrases found between lovers who have just started dating."

Additionally, lawyer Ko emphasized, "The claim by Gaseyeon that the actor maintained a romantic relationship with the late actress for six years, starting from her middle school years, and engaged in deviant pedophilic behavior, is a falsehood without any factual basis."