Kim Soo-hyun releases materials to refute underage dating claims

Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team says these photos were taken in 2019 and 2020, when Kim Sae-ron was an adult. Courtesy of Gold Medalist

Actor Kim Soo-hyun's legal team on Wednesday released detailed materials refuting claims that he dated Kim Sae-ron while she was underage.

The newly disclosed information directly addressed and countered specific allegations circulated online.

Kim's representatives at law firm LKB & Partners also said they have filed an additional complaint against the operators of the YouTube channel Hoverlab, accusing them of stalking and defamation for continuing to spread false claims about his relationship with the late actress.

They said that a key photo presented by Hoverlab, showing Kim and Kim Sae-ron in ski gear, was not taken between 2015 and 2016, as the channel claimed, but during a group ski trip with Gold Medalist employees on Jan. 22, 2020. They added that a group photo from the same day confirms this.

Kim’s side also said that the photo appearing to show Kim Soo-hyun kissing Kim Sae-ron was taken after 2019, when both were adults.

Regarding another widely shared photo of someone washing dishes, Kim’s team explained that Kim Sae-ron had moved into her apartment in Seoul’s Hangdang-dong in January 2020, distancing the image from any alleged underage relationship.

Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team claims the photos on the left were taken in 2020, and that the man in the photo on the right is not Kim Soo-hyun. Courtesy of Gold Medalist

The agency also refuted claims that Kim was a man in a red padded jacket shown in another photo with Kim Sae-ron. “The man in the photo is not Kim Soo-hyun,” the agency said. “Kim never visited her home in Ilsan, and claims that he did so when her family was away are false.”

Kim’s legal team also addressed Hoverlab’s claim that he drank alcohol with Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.

They acknowledged that the photo in question was taken in June 2018 but said the two were not in a romantic relationship at the time.

They added, “The location was Kim Soo-hyun’s apartment in Seongsu-dong, where he lived with his family. Kim Sae-ron visited during Kim’s military leave, and his family was also present.”

Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team acknowledged that the photo on the left was taken in 2018 but stated that the two were not in a romantic relationship at the time. The team also claims the postcard on the right was sent by Kim when Kim Sae-ron was an adult. Courtesy of Gold Medalist

Kim’s legal team pointed out that the video and postcard he sent to Kim Sae-ron from Paris were delivered when she was 20 years old, and that no evidence ties the gestures to any inappropriate relationship.

Regarding the 2016 KakaoTalk messages released by Kim Sae-ron’s family during a press conference, Kim Soo-hyun’s side said, “Kim did not send those messages in 2016. The sender is either a third party or the messages were fabricated. We urge the family to immediately submit the original data to investigators.”

His legal team said that the person messaging Kim Sae-ron in 2018 screenshots was indeed Kim, but emphasized that the two were not dating at the time. “The two were not in a romantic relationship at the time,” adding, “They began dating in the summer of 2019.”

Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team says these photos of Kim Sae-ron were taken in 2019, when she was 20 years old. Courtesy of Gold Medalist

Gold Medalist said it will continue to take legal action against what it called “repeated dissemination of false information and criminal behavior” by Hoverlab and those affiliated with it.

“The ongoing narrative surrounding Kim Soo-hyun is built on misinformation and we are determined to correct the record through lawful means," the agency said.

The additional complaint comes after Kim previously filed a civil lawsuit seeking 12 billion won ($8.9 million) in damages against Kim Sae-ron’s family, Hoverlab operators, and others.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.