What started as a single lawsuit has now turned into a full-blown legal tug-of-war between the family of late actress Kim Sae Ron and popular Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun. The situation, already intense, took a deeper and darker turn this May when new allegations surfaced, bringing more questions than answers.
Back in March 2025, Kim Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, filed a case against Kim Sae Ron’s family. They accused the family of distributing an indecent photo of the actor, allegedly taken without his knowledge, while he was at Kim Sae Ron’s house during their past relationship. The photo was later shared with Garosero Research Institute, a controversial South Korean platform known for leaking sensitive information about celebrities, politicians, and business personalities.
But just weeks later, Kim Sae Ron’s family hit back.
On May 7, the family held a press conference, claiming they had new evidence about Kim Soo Hyun’s past relationship with the late actress. According to their lawyer Bu Ji Seok, they received an audio recording from someone close to Kim Sae Ron who allegedly knew personal details of her relationship with the actor. The source was not named publicly but was said to be living in New Jersey, USA.
In a chilling detail, the family claimed this whistleblower was violently attacked on April 30, hinting that the stabbing, which involved nine wounds to the neck, might be linked to the recording. They feared for the safety of this individual, which pushed them to make the audio public.
The recording, supposedly made on January 10, 2025, over a month before Kim Sae Ron’s death, contained emotional admissions. In it, the actress allegedly said she dated Kim Soo Hyun while she was still in middle school, and that she felt "used" during their relationship. She even claimed their relationship lasted six years, starting when she was just 15 and Kim Soo Hyun was 27.
These allegations contradict Kim Soo Hyun’s earlier statements, in which he claimed they only dated for a year, and only when she was legally an adult.
The family used the recording to file a new criminal complaint against Kim Soo Hyun, this time under South Korea’s Child Welfare Act. They believe the actor engaged in inappropriate behavior while Kim Sae Ron was still a minor, and accused him of sexual abuse and harassment.
Their lawyer stated that they had originally hoped for a peaceful settlement. They even approached Kim Soo Hyun, asking for a public apology to put the controversy to rest. Instead, they said, they were met with a massive lawsuit from the actor, seeking damages worth 12 billion won.
Hours after the press conference, Gold Medalist responded strongly, saying the audio was fake.
They claimed their internal investigation revealed the recording was AI-generated and manipulated to sound like Kim Sae Ron. According to the agency, the person behind the recording tried to extort money from them earlier this year by offering to sell a version of the clip where the actress supposedly defended Kim Soo Hyun. When that failed, the individual turned to the Garosero platform.
Gold Medalist dismissed the whistleblower as a scammer and insisted that the actress never had contact with them. They’re now running a full technical analysis on the audio to prove it was artificially created and not authentic.
As of now, both parties remain firm in their claims, with legal teams on both sides preparing for what could be a lengthy and highly publicized battle.
This case, now involving deepfake technology, child abuse claims, and alleged blackmail, is stirring a lot of debate in Korea, not just about the celebrities involved, but also about privacy, media ethics, and the risks of AI-generated content.
(via Korea JoongAng Daily)
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