Police clear Kim Soo Hyun from claims he dated Kim Sae-ron as a minor

MANILA, Philippines — Korean authorities have concluded investigating the allegations that Kim Soo-hyun dated the late Kim Sae-ron while the latter was a minor, citing fabricated evidence.

According to an arrest warrant application, the allegations made were partially based on material made by artificial intelligence.

Local police are now seeking to arrest Kim Se-eui, the individual behind the YouTube channel HoverLab, for fabricating screenshots and an audio file that he submitted as evidence for the alleged inappropriate relationship.

Se-eui received last year from a family member of Sae-ron several screenshots of KakaoTalk conversations the late actress had with an "unidentified person" in 2016, which would make her a teenager at the time.

Police said the screenshots were edited in several portions, with the unidentified conversation partner changed to Soo-hyun's name.

"The suspect distributed false information with the intent to defame Kim Soo-hyun, despite being fully aware that he had never been in a relationship with the deceased from when she was a minor," said authorities, adding it was done for financial gains knowing the other party was still not determined.

Authorities have also booked a legal representative for Sae-ron's family as a suspect for "providing criminal materials and spreading false information" as well as "amplifying and reproducing them to commit crimes in an organized manner.

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"It appears that investigators found evidence of conspiracy and made the lawyer a suspect," said Ko Sang-rok, an attorney for Soo-hyun, who noted they didn't file a complaint against the legal aid. "It is highly unusual for a lawyer who started as a suspect's defense counsel to be recognized as an accomplice and converted into a suspect themselves."

Because of the suspects' actions, police said that "Soo-hyun's social base and his economic activities collapsed across the board and destroyed the basis for his professional survival.

"With the actor still receiving psychiatric treatment, any further spread of false information by the suspect could lead to serious and irreparable harm," they added.

Sae-ron passed away last February 2025 when she was 24 years old and her death was ruled as suicide. She was best known for starring in "Bloodhounds," "The Man From Nowhere," and "Secret Healer."

Soo-hyun meanwhile is best known for "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," "The Producers," "One Ordinary Day," and "Queen of Tears" which was his last credited project before the initial allegations blew up.

He had been set to appear in "Knock-Off" last year opposite Jo Bo-ah but its release was pulled because of the controversy.

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