The late Kim Sae-ron's family decided to conduct a digital forensic examination of a mobile phone to prove the allegations against actor Kim Soo-hyun regarding his relationship with a minor, known as the grooming controversy. Claims have arisen that the deceased was married and had an inheritance in the United States during her lifetime.
After Kim Sae-ron passed away on the 16th, her family claimed through the YouTube channel "Garosero Research Institute" (hereinafter referred to as Gaseyeon) that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron for six years from 2015 to 2021 when she was a minor, and that despite the deceased facing financial difficulties after the 2022 drunk driving incident which halted her activities, he pressured her to repay the 700 million won borrowed for accident recovery.
Kim Soo-hyun's side countered that the claim he dated Kim Sae-ron during her minor years is not true, noting that they processed the entire debt related to Kim Sae-ron as a loss and did not demand repayment even once thereafter. In particular, as the position of Kim Sae-ron's mother was disclosed through "Gaseyeon" and private photos continued to leak, they stated, “However, among the claims made by her mother, there seem to be aspects that differ from our perspective. I also think there are details that she may not yet be aware of. To publicly clarify this would be inappropriate for both the mother, who sought any means to restore the deceased's honor, and the deceased herself. Our management would like to meet her and provide a full explanation. We would appreciate it if you could contact us at the Gold Medalist office at any time.”
The family requested an official apology from Kim Soo-hyun's side, and YouTuber A has filed a defamation complaint. The family's legal representative submitted a complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 17th, explaining, “To explain the point that Kim Sae-ron posted a photo with Kim Soo-hyun, after receiving notice of content, she suffered severe distress and sent a text asking to be saved. After not receiving a response, she thought that posting old couple photos might elicit contact, so she posted some past photos. However, YouTuber A mischaracterized this as a fabrication, leading them to have no choice but to proceed with the lawsuit,” and added, “The family has no choice but to reveal the fact of their relationship to prove A's falsehoods, and for that reason, we humbly ask for your understanding that we must disclose past romantic photos. Regarding the investigation, since the deceased passed away, A has deleted all videos. This clearly constitutes evidence destruction, and we call for a search and seizure and an arrest investigation.”
After receiving news of the lawsuit, A stated, “I intend to clarify my innocence through the evidence and materials I possess. If I bear any responsibility for the situation regarding Kim Sae-ron, I will not evade any responsibility. However, I also have evidence that I cannot reveal. I will submit this evidence to the authorities and rectify any inaccuracies. I earnestly request that facts not be recklessly reported by only referring to the one-sided claims of Gaseyeon.”
Additionally, on the 19th, A claimed through her channel that the late Kim Sae-ron was married and had an inheritance in the United States. A referred to a post made by Kim Sae-ron on her personal social media account featuring wedding photo concepts, stating, “Upon fact-checking, it turns out she was indeed married. I will reluctantly disclose the deceased's recorded conversations.” The recording includes voices of a manager from a new agency (not affiliated with Gold Medalist) and a woman identified as B, presumed to be Kim Sae-ron.
According to the transcript, B stated, “The wedding photos were posted by my boyfriend. It’s true that we got married abroad. We originally intended to part ways amicably, but a child was conceived. I deleted it now. The marriage happened because of the child, who constantly pressured me in a threatening manner.” Furthermore, B revealed that her boyfriend had accounts on KakaoTalk and Instagram, stating, “My boyfriend asked why we aren’t announcing our marriage. I deleted the photos as instructed but the marriage cannot be undone. I didn’t anticipate marrying someone like this.”
YouTuber A claimed, “In the recording, the late Kim Sae-ron acknowledged that the photos were posted by her boyfriend and that they indeed got married. The bereaved family claims that Kim Sae-ron attempted to take an extreme choice after seeing the videos on my channel, but the deceased was with her husband in the United States at that time.”
Although A actively rebutted the allegations, netizens responded, saying, “You’re missing the point,” and “What does this have to do with the allegations against Kim Soo-hyun regarding dating a minor?”
Meanwhile, the family plans to conduct a mobile phone forensic examination to secure evidence supporting the allegations of the minor relationship between Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun.
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