The Korean star, Kim Soo-hyun seems to be in hot waters since the death of actress, Kim Sae-ron. He has been accused of dating Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor leading to predatory allegations against him. Moreover, his agency, Gold Medalist is being criticized for pressuring Kim Sae-ron to repay her debt of 700 Million KRW despite her struggling financial status. This move is said to have put a massive mental strain on her ultimately leading her to commit suicide.
Kim Soo-hyun’s press conference
After continuous criticism and threats of canceling the actor, Kim Soo-hyun ultimately held a press conference in an attempt to save his character. However, it seemed that the move backfired in the long run since it led to even more condemnation. In a tearful appearance, Kim Soo-hyun denied all allegations against him saying, “I can’t admit to something I didn’t do.”
During the tenure of the entire press conference, Kim’s eyes were watery, and he was occasionally seen sobbing. He did accept that he dated Kim Sae-ron, a claim both he and his agency repeatedly refused. However, he added that the two never dated when she was underage. Kim and his agency stated that their relationship started when Kim Sae-ron was 19. However, her family has provided plenty of evidence to refute this claim, proving that the two began dating when she was just 15 years old.
In the press conference, Kim Sae-ron denied having any contribution to the actress’s apparent suicide. He stated, “It is not true that the deceased made a tragic choice because of me.” Furthermore, he also said that her suicide had no correlation with his agency pressuring her about the debt.
He claimed that their love story was normal like every other’s. According to Kim Soo Hyun, the two soon losttheir feelingsg for one another and eventually broke up. He added, “After that, we rarely contacted each other.”
Moreover, he stated that because the two actors had the same agency, they were bound to have a bit of contact but were “cautious”. Kim Soo Hyun bowed in an apology gesture and pleaded with the public to “just listen to (his) story once.”
Before leaving he also added that the deceased family is forcing him to confess to things that he hasn’t done. He ended the conference abruptly after a reported shouted a question asking where and when did he first meet Kim Sae-ron. Although the reporters were strictly prohibited to not ask any questions, the reporter is being praised for bravely voicing the right question.
Kim Sae-ron’s death
On February 16th, 2025, Kim Sae-ron’s death news spread like wildfire on the internet. The cause was later revealed to be suicide. At the time, it was rumored that she took the tragic step after being blacklisted from the industry due to a past drink-and-drive case she was involved in.
However, a few days after her demise, a YouTube channel titled ‘Hoverlab’ released a video claiming that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron dated for six years and their relationship began when she was a minor. The channel continued to release more videos, even leaking intimate pictures of Kim Soo-hyun that they claimed were taken in the victim’s house.
Kim Soo-hyun’s family has backed this and their lawyer released further information to the public reiterating the claim. Among the evidence is the chat history between the two individuals that began when Kim was just 16.
Aftereffects of the claims
After these allegations came to surface, Kim Soo-hyun has been a target of online bullying and has received multiple threats. Moreover, after pieces of evidence of the claims began to be released, he lost multiple large-scale brand deals. One of the first big collaborations that he lost was with Prada. Soon other brands like Dinto followed suit. A Disney show featuring Kim Soo-hyun has been put on halt in the midst of the scandal.
Kim Soo-hyun’s lawyer has announced that their team has decided to sue Kim Sae-ron’s family and the YouTube channel for 12 billion won in response to their claims.
As of yet, Kim Sae-ron’s family has not commented on the actor’s press conference and his denial of all allegations.
