Hoverlab operator handed to prosecutors over claims against Kim Soo-hyun

Kim Se-ui, operator of the YouTube channel HoverLab and who allegedly defamed actor Kim Soo-hyun’s reputation, was handed over to prosecutors on Thursday while in custody.

The Gangnam Police Precinct sent the operator  to prosecutors early Thursday on charges including violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and defamation, according to police the same day.  

Kim Se-ui  is accused of spreading claims through YouTube and other platforms that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with the late actor Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. He also claimed that Kim Soo-hyun pressured  Kim Sae-ron to repay debts stemming from a drunk driving incident, and alleged that they contributed to her death in February last year.

Kim Se-ui is also accused of using AI to manipulate Kim Sae-ron’s voice in audio evidence he presented at a news conference in May 2025.

Police launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team in May last year and applied for an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui on May 14 after months of investigation.

The court held a pretrial detention hearing for the Hoverlab operator on May 26 and issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns that he might destroy evidence or flee.

After the detention review hearing, Kim Se-ui  met with reporters and denied the allegations while calling for his release.

“Now that I am detained and unable to respond actively, certain forces have begun spreading serious false information and defamatory claims about the bereaved family of actor Kim Sae-ron and me, as if they had been waiting for this moment,” Kim Se-ui said.

“It could reach a point where everything that the bereaved family and I have said is treated as a lie.” 

Kim Se-ui later filed a request on Saturday to challenge the legality of his detention, but the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the request on Tuesday, saying there were “no grounds” to grant it.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]