Family to file defamation complaint against YouTuber
By KTimes
The family of the late actor Kim Sae-ron has demanded an official apology from actor Kim Soo-hyun and his agency over allegations that he was romantically involved with Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. The family is also preparing to file a defamation complaint with the police against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, according to Newsis and other outlets on Sunday.
YouTube channel HoverLab (Garo Sero Institute) shared a live broadcast on Saturday that included a statement from Kim Sae-ron’s family in response to a recent position released by Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist.
In the statement, the family said, “We ask Kim Soo-hyun to admit to dating Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and issue an official apology. We also demand an apology from his agency, which has denied the relationship for the past three years and even repeated this denial just three days ago.”
The family also urged the agency to recognize Kim Sae-ron’s contributions as a founding member of the company and offer an apology. They also demanded an apology for issuing proof of contents (letter delivery verification) and a repayment request for 700 million won (approximately $530,000).
Clarifying their earlier silence on Kim Soo-hyun, the family said, “The reason we did not mention Kim Soo-hyun by name in our first statement was to focus on warning YouTuber (Lee Jin-ho) and other online content creators. However, all we ask for is an official apology from Kim Soo-hyun and his agency.”
They added, “To refute the false claims made by YouTuber (Lee), we had no choice but to disclose the fact that Kim Sae-ron had a romantic relationship with Kim Soo-hyun, and this inevitably led to the release of photos involving him.”
The statement from her family came hours after Gold Medalist said, “Our management team wishes to meet with the late actress’s mother and explain everything in detail. We would appreciate it if she could contact our office at any time.”
YouTuber Lee Jin-ho / Captured from his YouTube channel
Complaint against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho
Separately, Kim Sae-ron’s family plans to take legal action against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. On March 16, lawyer Boo Ji-seok of Law Firm Buyou, representing the family, said, “We will file a defamation complaint against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency at 2 p.m. on March 17.”
He added that a brief statement will be delivered in front of the police agency prior to the filing.
According to the family, Lee uploaded malicious videos about Kim Sae-ron, damaging her reputation. “Kim Sae-ron suffered extreme emotional distress because of these videos. She harmed herself six times shortly after Lee’s videos were uploaded,” Boo said.
Lee previously posted videos suggesting that Kim Sae-ron fabricated a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun. He has since made all related videos private following Kim Sae-ron’s passing.
The family’s lawyer also criticized Kim Soo-hyun’s agency for what he described as dishonest behavior. “It is true that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, but his side keeps lying,” he said. “They have made multiple calls to Kim Sae-ron’s father attempting to persuade him, yet claim that we are refusing communication. That kind of dishonesty is unacceptable.”
The family has consistently maintained that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron dated from 2015 to 2021, and continues to seek recognition and accountability from both the actor and his agency.
In a statement on March 14, Kim Soo-hyun’s side acknowledged the relationship but denied it began while Kim Sae-ron was underage, claiming instead that the two dated from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020, after she had reached adulthood.
This article is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
