Actor Kim Soo-hyun, who is embroiled in a private life controversy including allegations of having dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, has begun legal action against the bereaved family and the Garosero Research Institute.
On the 31st, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference at the Stanford Hotel Sangam in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and said, "I will accept any criticism of the choice I made. However, that does not mean that everything that is not true becomes a fact."
He continued, "Just as I underwent a verification process regarding KakaoTalk, I will follow a thorough verification process through investigative agencies regarding all the evidence the bereaved family presents," and added, "If the evidence held by the bereaved family is truly truthful, I request that all materials be submitted to the investigative agencies and verified through legal procedures."
He also mentioned, "I am fearful of what will be revealed today and how it will be distorted to portray me as a murderer. I cannot predict what fake evidence and testimonies will be used to tarnish my reputation and harass those close to me after this press conference."
Kim Jong-bok, a lawyer at LK Partners, which represents Kim Soo-hyun, stated, "We have filed a complaint against the bereaved family, an unnamed individual who claims to be an aunt, and the Gaseyeon operator for violating the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection Act (defamation)." He added, "We also submitted a lawsuit for damages amounting to 12 billion won against these individuals today at the Seoul Central District Court."
The press conference was held 21 days after allegations were raised on the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the then-minor Kim Sae-ron on the 10th. Although the agency had issued statements in the interim, this marks the first time Kim Soo-hyun has appeared in public to address the situation.