South Korean police have concluded that actor Kim Soo-hyun never dated Kim Sae-ron as a minor. The YouTuber who made the accusations now faces arrest over fabricated evidence.
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South Korean police have concluded that actor Kim Soo-hyun did not date the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. Investigators from Seoul Gangnam Police Station found that the accusations were false and that the suspect knowingly spread fabricated information for financial gain, including YouTube revenue.
The finding came as authorities moved to seek an arrest warrant against YouTuber Kim Se-ui, head of the channel HoverLab, also known as Garosero Research Institute, for allegedly spreading false claims about the actor.
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Kim Sae-ron was found dead in her Seoul home on February 16, 2025. Following her death, her family and the HoverLab YouTube channel alleged that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the actress while she was underage.
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On March 10, 2025, Kim Sae-ron’s aunt, along with HoverLab, publicly accused Kim Soo-hyun of dating the actress from as early as 2015, when she was 15 years old.
Kim Sae-ron’s family claimed through HoverLab that the relationship began in 2016, when she was 15. Kim Soo-hyun’s side denied the allegation, saying the two dated only between the summer of 2019 and the fall of 2020, after she had become an adult.
Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference on March 31, 2025, to address the accusations directly. He was visibly emotional, denying through tears that he had dated Kim Sae-ron as a minor, saying he could not admit to something he did not do.
He stated that he did not date the actress when she was a minor and denied that her death was caused by him turning a blind eye.
His legal team filed criminal complaints against Kim Sae-ron’s family and the YouTube channel, along with a civil lawsuit seeking damages of 12 billion won, approximately $8.15 million.
Police found that the materials presented as proof of the underage relationship had been doctored.
Chat screenshots and KakaoTalk messages released online as supposed proof of the relationship had been manipulated. Several portions were edited, including changing the name of an unidentified person in the conversation to “Kim Soo-hyun.”
At a press conference on May 7, 2025, Kim Se-ui played an audio file claiming to contain Kim Sae-ron’s voice. Police said this recording was fake and created using artificial intelligence. The file was used to claim that the two had been romantically involved since she was in middle school.
Prosecutors alleged that Kim Se-ui damaged Kim Soo-hyun’s reputation by using generative AI to manipulate Kim Sae-ron’s voice and fabricate information.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office requested an arrest warrant against Kim Se-ui on charges including distributing illegally filmed material and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.
Police cited the seriousness of the allegations, concerns over repeated offenses, possible destruction of evidence, and fears of witness intimidation as reasons for seeking detention.
A lawyer representing Kim Sae-ron’s family was also booked by authorities for allegedly helping spread the disputed materials and claims.
Kim Se-ui’s warrant review hearing was scheduled for May 26 at 10:30 am at the Seoul Central District Court, where a judge will decide whether to formally detain him.
In response, Kim Se-ui claimed during a YouTube broadcast on May 20 that the National Forensic Service determined the recording could not be considered AI-manipulated, and alleged the police’s warrant request was intended to block the exposure of a prominent politician’s sexual crime case in Vietnam.
Kim Se-ui denied wrongdoing and questioned the basis of the charges against him.
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