Actor Kim Soo-hyun's legal representative has once again rebutted claims about a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron during her minor years.
On the 4th, Go Sang-rok, a lawyer from the law firm Phil representing Kim Soo-hyun, listed as many as 16 detailed items on his channel "진격의고변," calling it "the origin of the case — Gaseyeon's atrocity."
Lawyer Go Sang-rok said Kim Soo-hyun did not date the minor Kim Sae-ron and emphasized that many of Kim Sae-ron's mobile messenger contents from when she was alive were false.
Lawyer Go said, "On the actor's iPad, the problematic photo (a photo of the deceased and the actor with their faces close together) remained alongside other adjacent photos, and this series of photos confirmed shooting dates a few days apart. As a result, the problematic photo was identified as taken between Feb. 18 and 23, 2020. And we were able to prove this fact by submitting the iPad itself to investigative authorities," adding, "It appears the deceased never intended to externally release the draft of the false statement, which seems to have been prepared with someone's help (photo). If that false statement had been released at the time, the claim that the photo was taken in 2016 would have been immediately exposed as false, and there would have been no reason for the deceased, who surely would have known better, to force the release of a false statement. Nevertheless, that false statement, which could not have been released at the time, was prepared for some reason, and it became the clue to this case a year later."
Kim Soo-hyun's side appealed that this false statement was left with the involvement of the deceased, and was later used in a serious cybercrime against an innocent actor by the people who left it and by Gaseyeon.
Lawyer Go said, "This planning began on March 25, 2024, for the aforementioned reasons, but at that time it would have been immediately exposed as false and therefore could not have been executed. However, a year later, when the deceased had passed away, the perpetrators perfectly executed the exact same malicious framing operation (child psychological domination and sexual exploitation) against the actor. Immediately afterward, despite the agency and the actor continuously and specifically presenting rebuttals, Gaseyeon continued to slander the actor using fabricated evidence and distorted interpretations, driving the victim to the brink. Those false claims have continued up to now, seven months later (as of Gaseyeon's live broadcast on Sept. 30, 2025)."
He continued, "The victims and families who suffered social character assassination from fabricated facts are still worried about harming other fellow entertainers even in the process of disclosing evidence to reveal the truth. The victim set a principle of 'truth-finding is necessary, but I will not harm others,' suppressed the desire to clear their name quickly, and declared they would reveal the truth only through the investigation. But the victim's sacrifice was turned into a laughingstock by some YouTubers who accepted the perpetrator's claims as fact, ridiculed the actor, and focused only on views."
Finally, Lawyer Go said, "More than half a year has passed, and I only recently joined the defense team to confirm the facts and progress of the case. After deliberation with the existing defense team, I persuaded them of the necessity and decided to disclose evidence within the minimum scope," adding, "Even though it has been clearly revealed that the actor did not date the deceased during her minor years, malicious comments still appear. When the fact that 'the actor did not date her even a single day during her minor years' was revealed, some have now continued absurd secondary harm by saying things like, 'There is timing to explanations; Kim Soo-hyun is already finished.' Please do not become accomplices with them," he concluded in a long post.
Meanwhile, Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family has claimed since Feb. 16 that the deceased dated Kim Soo-hyun for six years from her middle school years. But Kim Soo-hyun's side rebutted, saying they dated from the summer of 2019, when Kim Sae-ron was an adult, until the following spring. Kim Soo-hyun has filed a criminal complaint for defamation against Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family and Gaseyeon and has also filed a civil damages suit seeking about 12 billion won.
The following is the full text left by Kim Soo-hyun's legal representative
[The origin of the case - Gaseyeon's atrocity (summary)]
1. On the actor's iPad, the problematic photo (a photo of the deceased and the actor with their faces close together) remained alongside other adjacent photos, and this series of photos confirmed shooting dates a few days apart. As a result, the problematic photo was identified as taken between Feb. 18 and 23, 2020. And we were able to prove this fact by submitting the iPad itself to investigative authorities.
2. It appears the deceased never intended to externally release the draft of the false statement, which seems to have been prepared with someone's help (photo). If that false statement had been released at the time, the claim that the photo was taken in 2016 would have been immediately exposed as false, and there would have been no reason for the deceased, who surely would have known better, to force the release of a false statement. Nevertheless, that false statement, which could not have been released at the time, was prepared for some reason, and it became the clue to this case a year later.
3. For some reason (A), this false statement was left with the involvement of the deceased, and for another reason (B) a year later it was used by the people who left it and by Gaseyeon in a serious cybercrime against an innocent actor. The ripple effect was enormous, and such a result could reasonably have been foreseen. The perpetrators will, unsurprisingly, claim they simply believed the deceased's KakaoTalk messages were sent directly by the deceased. The existing defense team has already requested a precise police investigation into this matter.
4. The draft of the false statement prepared with the deceased's involvement on March 25, 2024, contained numerous obvious errors. This was precisely the point the actor sought to convey at the March 31 news conference. However, out of concern for mourning the deceased and not harming fellow entertainers, the actor and the agency chose to briefly state only the truth at the time and quietly prove it through the existing defense team. This was a sacrifice borne by the victim actor, and that decision should be respected.
5. Notably, the 12-year age difference between the deceased and the actor is an objective, unchanging fact. Yet the draft false statement stated, 'I was 16, the other was 30,' creating a direct contradiction. If the deceased were 16, the actor would be 28; if the actor were 30, the deceased would be 18. Nevertheless, this statement not only contained complete falsehoods but even altered immutable facts to maliciously pile on false claims. This was likely a planned propaganda designed to create the image that a man in his 30s psychologically dominated and sexually exploited a child (under 16), who under current law and social norms is considered not to have sexual self-determination capacity.
6. That planning began on March 25, 2024, for the aforementioned reasons, but at that time it would have been immediately exposed as false and therefore could not have been executed. However, a year later, when the deceased had passed away, the perpetrators perfectly executed the exact same malicious framing operation (child psychological domination and sexual exploitation) against the actor.
7. Immediately afterward, despite the agency and the actor continuously and specifically presenting rebuttals, Gaseyeon continued to slander the actor using fabricated evidence and distorted interpretations, driving the victim to the brink. Those false claims have continued up to now, seven months later (recently: Gaseyeon's live broadcast on Sept. 30, 2025).
8. From the early stages of the case, the actor suffered enormous criticism from the public who were deceived by the false frame, and no matter how objectively the agency and the actor rebutted the facts, Gaseyeon's fabrication and abusive actions intensified. At first they claimed 'dating for six years from third year of middle school,' later they escalated to 'sexual relations in second year of middle school,' strengthening and continuing false claims to destroy the victim's character and bury them socially.
9. But over the past seven months our society failed to stop this. Even without the actor's diary letter I released a few days ago, it is obvious that a single letter the actor sent to the deceased when the actor was in military service cannot be evidence of a romantic relationship at that time. Moreover, that letter was objective evidence that clearly refuted the perpetrators' claims of 'years-long child psychological domination and sexual exploitation since childhood.' Could someone who allegedly had sexual relations with a second-year middle school child and psychologically dominated, sexually exploited, and objectified them for four years write and send an essay-like letter during military service about small impressions looking at nature and the sky and a pledge to serve faithfully? Despite this, the perpetrators' incitement paralyzed normal public judgment, and many in the public ignored or allowed secondary harm against the cybercrime victim.
10. The perpetrator ignored the court's provisional order to stop repeated stalking broadcasts early in the case, and that illegal behavior has continued. Meanwhile, forced searches to promptly secure evidence requested by the victim were not carried out, citing the suspect's right to defense. His boast that he would 'release thousands of photos right after the presidential election' intimidated the press, and even though he could not present a single photo four months after election day (June 3), no one pointed this out. In the meantime, media and public interest waned.
11. The victims and families who suffered social character assassination from fabricated facts are still worried about harming other fellow entertainers even in the process of disclosing evidence to reveal the truth. The victim set a principle of 'truth-finding is necessary, but I will not harm others,' suppressed the desire to clear their name quickly, and declared they would reveal the truth only through the investigation. But the victim's sacrifice was turned into a laughingstock by some YouTubers who accepted the perpetrator's claims as fact, ridiculed the actor, and focused only on views.
12. More than half a year has passed, and I only recently joined the defense team to confirm the facts and progress of the case. After deliberation with the existing defense team, I persuaded them of the necessity and decided to disclose evidence within the minimum scope. I appreciate many reporters accurately understanding and reporting my intent, and fortunately I feel public opinion is gradually returning to normal.
13. However, some still speak up that proof is insufficient and help the perpetrators. How far must we prove the nonexistence of a victim? If possible, I hope there will be no further evidence disclosures. But if unavoidable, following the consistent position the actor and the agency have maintained from the start, we will handle matters as cautiously as possible to avoid harming others.
14. Even though it has been clearly revealed that the actor did not date the deceased during her minor years, malicious comments still appear. When the fact that 'the actor did not date her even a single day during her minor years' was revealed, some have now continued absurd secondary harm by saying things like, 'There is timing to explanations; Kim Soo-hyun is already finished.'
Is that acceptable now? Is Korea really okay with that?
15. Cybercrime can happen to anyone. Advancing AI technology is making these crimes more sophisticated and widespread, and we are all rapidly entering that worst environment.
If we fail to stop this now, the next victim could be your friend, your family, or even you. I still remember the sorrow and numbness left by the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun. Now is the time to break that chain. I hope this case becomes that catalyst.
16. Do not pour cold water on the victim's efforts to reveal the truth. People who claim they are 'too tired to know the truth anymore' have created social monsters like today's Gaseyeon.
Please do not become accomplices with them.
Kim Soo-hyun's legal representative Go Sang-rok, lawyer, law firm Phil
- Oct. 4, 2025.
[Photo] OSEN DB, '진격의 고변' YouTube channel
[OSEN]