Actor Kim Soo Hyun is pushing back forcefully against accusations that he maintained a romantic relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron during her teenage years. In a public defense issued by his legal team at LKB & Partners, the actor released photo timelines, location data, and a series of counterclaims to dispute allegations broadcasted by the controversial YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, also known as HoverLab.
The allegations surfaced in a series of videos aired from March 10 to March 31, 2025, under the headline "[Exclusive] Kim Sae Ron's Death Led by Kim Soo Hyun (6-Year Relationship Since Kim Sae Ron Was 15)," in which HoverLab representative Kim Se Eui accused the actor of misconduct and released private photos and messages allegedly involving the two actors.
Gold Medalist, Kim's agency, confirmed it filed a lawsuit seeking 11 billion KRW (approximately $8.25 million) in damages and additional charges under South Korea's anti-stalking law. On April 2, the agency also filed a separate complaint targeting the continued publication of private content that it claims has been manipulated or misrepresented.
Among the disputed materials is a ski trip photo that the channel claimed was taken between 2015 and 2016 based on jacket models. Kim's legal team said the photo was actually from a January 22, 2020 company outing with Gold Medalist employees, with multiple group photos to corroborate.
Another image of Kim Soo Hyun kissing Kim Sae Ron on the cheek was said to be from her ninth-grade year. However, LKB stated the photo was taken after 2019, by which time both individuals were adults. A third image, showing Kim Soo Hyun allegedly pantless in Kim Sae Ron's apartment, was also said to be from 2020-after she moved into an apartment in Haengdang-dong.
The agency further denied a claim involving soju drinking late at night in June 2018. While confirming the date, LKB explained the setting was Kim Soo Hyun's family home during his military leave and that his family was present. "At that time, the two were not in a romantic relationship," the firm stated.
In response to a photo that Garosero Research Institute alleged showed Kim Soo Hyun near Kim Sae Ron's apartment elevator, the actor's team said, "The man in the picture is not Kim Soo Hyun. He has never been to the house where Kim Sae Ron lived."
The most inflammatory charge centers on a series of KakaoTalk messages presented as evidence of a sexual relationship while Kim Sae Ron was underage. The actor's legal team denied the messages originated from him and called for forensic submission of the original data. "Kim Soo Hyun never sent any KakaoTalk messages in 2016 like the ones shown. Therefore, the sender of those messages is either a third party or they are fabricated," the firm stated.
Gold Medalist also addressed speculation around a 12-year age gap between the actors. "Kim Sae Ron was born in 2000, Kim Soo Hyun in 1988. Even if both were legal adults, a relationship between a 30-year-old and an 18-year-old is unsettling," read one post from the channel. Kim's agency acknowledged the two were in a relationship from summer 2019 to fall 2020 but maintained that it began only after both parties were of legal age.
Garosero Research Institute has not publicly responded to the legal complaint, but the channel previously threatened to continue releasing photos "one by one" if Kim Soo Hyun did not admit to dating a minor.
