The family of the late Kim Sae-ron has released evidence to substantiate Kim Soo-hyun's involvement with a minor. The family emphasized that if it is not a relationship with a minor, it would be classified as 'grooming sexual crime,' revealing messages exchanged on KakaoTalk between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron from 2016 through forensic analysis. Attention is now on whether Kim Soo-hyun's side, which claims the two started dating only after Kim Sae-ron became an adult, will provide evidence to support this.
On the afternoon of the 27th, attorney Bu Ji-seok from the Law Firm Buyou, representing the family, held a press conference at the Space Share Gangnam Station Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where he disclosed evidence indicating that the late Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun had dated since they were minors for six years. He stated, "This is not a forum to clarify the reasons behind the late Kim Sae-ron's decision to end her life," adding, "The family aims to put an end to the controversy by presenting evidence." The family is seeking to conclude the truth dispute with Kim Soo-hyun's side regarding the 'timing of the relationship.'
In addition, attorney Bu Ji-seok revealed messages exchanged between the deceased and Kim Soo-hyun from 2016. He stated that they possess the original messages through forensic analysis and reconstructed the KakaoTalk messages as is to protect personal information.
The messages released by the family between Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun date back to June 2016. At that time, Kim Sae-ron was 17 years old (16 years old in international age).
When Kim Sae-ron sent a KakaoTalk message saying, "I want to see you, but I don't want to see you," Kim Soo-hyun replied, "You? You wouldn't want to miss me; you'd want to see me." When Kim Sae-ron insisted, "I don't know! If you don't say it, I won't know. I don't know," Kim Soo-hyun affectionately responded, "You're cute for asking such a question." Kim Soo-hyun then sent, "I want to see you, I want to see you," and when Kim Sae-ron sent an emoticon saying 'add more,' he replied, "I want to see you hahaha."
Another KakaoTalk message indicates that the two were indeed in a romantic relationship. In this message, Kim Soo-hyun asked, "When can I hold you and fall asleep? Then I think I can get a really good sleep," to which Kim Sae-ron replied, "Yes, I'll allow that." Kim Soo-hyun then said, "Yeah, it might take about a year or so," and followed up with "Three years? Haha." When Kim Sae-ron responded, "One year is too much, and three years is..." Kim Soo-hyun replied, "Is one year too much? How about six months?"
Furthermore, when Kim Sae-ron left a message saying '♥ side,' Kim Soo-hyun responded, "Please do it for real later... haha Is this also forbidden?...ㅜㅜ" In response, Kim Sae-ron replied, "No, it's not forbidden haha I'll do it," and Kim Soo-hyun answered, "Yay haha."
In this regard, attorney Bu Ji-seok remarked, "If this relationship was not one of dating, I would like to ask Mr. Kim Soo-hyun. At that time, Kim Sae-ron was 17 years old."
Another piece of evidence released by the family is a letter written by the late Kim Sae-ron in April of last year after receiving a document of contents. The released handwritten letter includes the message, "Our time together has been about 5 to 6 years. Since it's my first love and my last love, I hope you don't avoid me," reinforcing the family's claim that they were in a relationship from 2015 until their breakup in 2021. The attorney explained, "After receiving the document of contents, I tried to deliver it in early April last year, but I couldn’t because the apartment was not accessible for just anyone."
After the evidence was disclosed, when asked whether Kim Soo-hyun's side would provide additional evidence if they continued to deny the relationship with a minor, attorney Bu Ji-seok asked rhetorically, "If they say they did not date, based on the KakaoTalk, is that 'grooming sexual crime'? They did not date. Could we respond any further?"
In this context, Kim Se-ui, the head of the Garosero Research Institute, which appeared that day, stated, "The issue of whether they were in a relationship for six years has seen repeated changes in position and lies. When we released the photo with their faces touching, the responses of 'it's completely false' and 'I don't understand why they are doing this' had a huge impact, which influenced the extreme decision."
Previously, Kim Soo-hyun denied the relationship with Kim Sae-ron, but later corrected himself to say, "They dated from the summer of 2019, after Kim Sae-ron became an adult, until the fall of 2020" as photos from their private life were released. Regarding the reason for denying the past relationship with Kim Sae-ron, a representative from Gold Medals said to OSEN, "The two had actually parted ways about four years prior to the current standards. Both Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron, as celebrities, found it difficult to acknowledge something that happened four years ago," indicating that it was a situation where revealing the relationship was challenging, considering the timeline of their romance and their careers.
Now, for Kim Soo-hyun's side to prove that there was no relationship between a minor and an adult, they must present evidence. Kim Soo-hyun's side has reported Gaseyeon for violating the Special Cases Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (distributing material using cameras) and threats.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]