YouTuber A, who was sued for defamation regarding the late actor Kim Sae-ron, expressed his stance and began to clarify his position.

On the 17th, YouTuber A uploaded a video titled "This is my stance on the lawsuit.. I will reveal the truth to the end" on his YouTube channel.

A said, "The family of Kim Sae-ron informed me about the lawsuit against me on the 16th. I also want to convey my position on this matter. I fully respect the perspective of families who have lost children. However, there are many parts of the facts that differ greatly, and I want to correct these aspects."

He rebutted, "Law Firm Bujiseok's attorney stated on the 16th through an official statement that 'the current dispute is whether they dated when they were minors, and while the fact that they dated is true, the part that reported this as a fabrication is clearly false.' This is extremely puzzling. I have never stated in any videos or broadcasts that Kim Sae-ron's relationship is a fabrication or false."

"I have never said that the relationship between the two was a fabrication, but Gaseyeon published a half-naked photo of a man claiming to refute my words. It appears that they did this without the consent of Namsung. Upon checking with my lawyer, it seems this could likely constitute a violation of sexual violence laws. If the allegations are recognized, I could face up to 7 years in prison or fines of up to 50 million won. I have never stated that the relationship is fabricated or that the related content is false," he emphasized.

He continued, "Gaseyeon's Kim Se-ui spread false claims that I received a fortune from a gold medalist to cover Kim Sae-ron's video. This is a blatant falsehood. When I reported on Kim Sae-ron, the gold medalist was not associated with any agency. Therefore, at no point did we even exchange contact." Gaseyeon is pulling me back into their illegal activities. However, this matter is fundamentally different. In particular, the content I covered on the broadcast was fully based on Kim Sae-ron's standpoint, and there is clear evidence to support this."

He said, "The families are raising concerns about the videos I uploaded recently. What I can clearly say is that there has not been a single instance where I covered Kim Sae-ron first. Kim Sae-ron has posted photos or updates about herself on her SNS or after her circumstances were revealed by other media, causing numerous articles to be produced. After it became a social issue, I only covered related content through additional investigations," he said, adding, "Once it became a social issue, it meant that I covered related content. Following the drunk driving incident, there have been over 5,000 articles related to Kim Sae-ron. I want to ask how many of those articles were written after hearing Kim Sae-ron's perspective. I especially wonder why the families have not taken action against some media outlets that have produced malicious articles about Kim Sae-ron."

A noted, "The incident started when Kwon Young-chan, who had a private grudge against me, visited the family of the deceased the moment the funeral was set up, posing as a reporter from Laon Newspaper. Later, a law firm associated with Gaseyeon got involved, and contact ensued naturally between Gaseyeon and the family. In fact, I made multiple reports to the media, but none addressed it. Journalists, you must find this odd. What media did I contact, and how? From what I have gathered, Kwon Young-chan and Gaseyeon have been involved from the beginning of this incident. The reason Kwon Young-chan harbors ill feelings toward me is solely because I covered the school violence case of Hwang Young-hoon," he alleged.

He added, "A certification shot of Kim Sae-ron working at a franchise café was released following a drunk driving incident, leading to controversy. After Kim Sae-ron posted related photos, the company disclosed that there is no record of her employment. Because of this background, there arose confusion regarding whether Kim Sae-ron was actually working part-time. However, I later confirmed through additional investigations that she was indeed working part-time. Since then, I have continuously stated that it is true that Kim Sae-ron is working part-time whenever I cover related videos. Even amidst these circumstances, questions have been raised through the press regarding whether Kim Sae-ron is genuinely working part-time."

A said, "My stance of having no face to show to the family remains unchanged. However, I hope that there won't be any provocative wording such as confirming the location of the crematory. On February 21, I visited Kim Sae-ron's burial site in Paju to pay at least minimal respects for the deceased. However, after hearing from a representative of the crematory that the family had buried the deceased elsewhere, I inevitably contacted the father because I wanted to say a final farewell. Despite this background, the narrative has been twisted suggesting that I called the family to confirm the crematory's location. I refute that I first called the family on February 20, and that it is not true that I contacted them during the mourning period."

A said, "Since this incident, I have consistently expressed my stance on the issues raised regarding related content through various communities and videos. However, my counterarguments have not been adequately conveyed. If it continues like this, with only the one-sided claims from Gaseyeon being presented, I will be left with no choice but to take legal action. It's not that I lack evidence to disclose. Rather, I simply do not want to fuel ridicule and hatred alongside Gaseyeon. I also want to maintain at least minimal respect for the deceased and remain silent even as criticism is directed at me."

He added, "Gaseyeon's Kim Se-ui asserts that I have troubled many celebrities in the past as a result of this incident. However, I have been correcting the facts from the perspectives of the victims in matters such as those involving Kim Gun-mo, Park Soo-hong, Han Ye-seul, Tzuyang, and Eon Hyeon-jang, which Gaseyeon has maliciously framed. As a result, many have regained their honor and cleared the stigma imposed by Gaseyeon. However, the only thing that remains for me as countercompensation is Gaseyeon's hatred. Currently, I find myself at the center of the pain those individuals are experiencing. I believe that it will ultimately return to rightful justice."

He mentioned, "I aim to clarify my innocence through the evidence and materials I possess. If there is any responsibility on my part regarding Kim Sae-ron's case, I will not evade any responsibility. However, I also possess evidence that I cannot disclose. I will submit these pieces of evidence to the investigative authorities and work to correct the false facts. I earnestly request that you do not recklessly report only the one-sided statements from Gaseyeon regarding matters that are not factual. I have previously stated that I made the videos private out of respect for the deceased. If the family gives their consent, I am willing to make all four videos that I uploaded recently public. I bow my head once again to pray for the deceased who ended their life at a young age."

Meanwhile, the family of the late Kim Sae-ron claimed through the YouTube channel "Garo Sero Research Institute" (hereafter "Gaseyeon") that actor Kim Soo-hyun dated the late Kim Sae-ron for six months starting from when she was 15 years old and released physical contact photos and letters between them. In response, the agency Gold Medalist rebutted, "Kim Sae-ron dated from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020, after she became an adult."

In the meantime, attorney Bujiseok of Law Firm Buyu, representing the family, held a press conference at 2 p.m. on the 17th and stated, "I was experiencing extreme distress after receiving the content certification and sent a text message asking for help. After not receiving a reply, I thought I might get a response if I posted past photos, so I uploaded some for about three minutes, but YouTuber A labeled it as a fabrication and a self-relationship, portraying me as a strange woman," and filed a lawsuit against YouTuber A at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

[Photo] OSEN DB, YouTube

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