A court will decide whether the arrest of Kim Se-eui, head of the Garosero Research Institute, on charges of defaming actor Kim Soo-hyun with false information was lawful.
The Seoul Central District Court will hold a detention warrant validity review at 2:10 p.m. on the 2nd for Kim, who was arrested on charges including defamation, intimidation and attempted coercion.
Kim is currently under arrest. At about 1:44 p.m. that day, with both hands tied with a restraining rope, Kim entered the courtroom accompanied by three police officers. When Kim encountered reporters in the courthouse hallway, Kim gave a slight smile.
A detention warrant validity review is a procedure in which the court reexamines whether an arrest and investigation are lawful and necessary. A suspect who has been arrested on an issued warrant may ask the court again for a ruling seeking release. Kim applied for the review on the 31st, five days after the arrest. The court could issue a decision as early as that afternoon.
Kim is accused of spreading via YouTube and other channels that Kim Soo-hyun dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, and that the cause of Kim Sae-ron's death was pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side to repay debt. Kim is also accused of damaging Kim Soo-hyun's reputation by manipulating Kim Sae-ron's voice using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul applied for an arrest warrant for Kim on the 14th. Kim denied the allegations, but the court issued the warrant on the 26th, citing concerns about destruction of evidence and flight.