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Kim Soo-hyun's agency thankful to investigators for 'uncovering the truth'

Published: 27 May. 2026, 12:04 Updated: 27 May. 2026, 12:20

Actor Kim Soo-hyun [JOONGANG ILBO]

Actor Kim Soo-hyun’s agency expressed gratitude to investigative authorities on Wednesday for "uncovering the truth based on objective evidence," after investigators concluded that allegations accusing him of grooming the late actress Kim Sae-ron were fabricated and that purported evidence had been manipulated or generated using AI.

“The investigation results confirmed that the various allegations and purported evidence presented by Hoverlab against Kim Soo-hyun were false,” Kim’s agency, Gold Medalist, said in an official statement.

In March of last year, Hoverlab, a tabloid-like YouTube channel, alleged that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron were in a relationship when she was a minor.

“The KakaoTalk messages presented as exchanges with the late actress Kim Sae-ron during [Hoverlab operator] Kim Se-ui’s press conference were found to have been doctored from conversations involving unrelated third parties,” the agency added.

Gold Medalist also said the voice recordings claimed to be Kim Sae-ron’s were determined to have been generated using AI.

Kim Se-ui, the operator of YouTube channel Hoverlab, attends a court hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on May 26. [NEWS1]

On Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court issued a detention warrant against Kim Se-ui. The court cited concerns that he posed a flight risk and could tamper with evidence.

“We sincerely thank the investigative authorities," the actor’s agency said.

The court had issued an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui on charges of defamation by publishing false claims, stalking, violating the Act on Special Cases concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and coercion, according to the actor’s agency.

Kim Se-ui is accused of falsely claiming through YouTube and other channels that Kim Soo-hyun had dated Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor, and using AI to manipulate Kim Sae-ron’s voice recordings. He is also suspected of spreading false claims that Kim Soo-hyun pressured Kim Sae-ron to repay debts, which later led the actress to suicide.

“The detention warrant is filled with baseless falsehoods,” Kim Se-ui said while appearing before the court earlier.

Gold Medalist also referenced remarks Kim Soo-hyun made during a press conference a year earlier.

“A year ago, Kim Soo-hyun promised at a press conference, ‘I won’t ask for your trust. I will make sure to prove it,’” the agency said. “The past year has been devoted solely to keeping that promise, and the truth has finally come to light through lawful procedures and an investigation.”

The agency extended its gratitude to those who “continued to believe in and support Kim Soo-hyun throughout this time.”

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]]