Actor Kim Soo-hyun (김수현) has faced significant damage to his image since March of last year, when allegations surfaced that he had dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron (김새론) during her minor years. The controversy has continued unabated, but a major new development has emerged. Korean media outlet Dispatch reported on October 13 that the text messages, which included phrases like "I miss you" and "I want to hug you," and were attributed to Kim Soo-hyun, were actually sent by another entertainment industry figure, identified only as 'A'. Police investigations have since found that screenshots of the conversations were likely altered, and the sender's name deliberately changed.
According to the report, police forensically examined multiple mobile phones used by Kim Sae-ron before her death and thoroughly investigated the KakaoTalk conversation screenshots she had saved. From the original chat logs, they confirmed the true identity of the person she was chatting with. Police also noted a clear difference in messaging habits between 'A' and Kim Soo-hyun; for instance, 'A' consistently adhered to Korean spelling and spacing rules, while Kim Soo-hyun's typing style was often more casual, indicating distinct textual patterns.
The controversy began in March of last year when Kim Se-eui (김세의), representative of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute (가로세로연구소), claimed that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron had dated for six years. He further alleged that Kim Sae-ron's death was linked to pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side demanding debt repayment. To support his claims, Kim Se-eui released relevant message records, asserting that Kim Soo-hyun had sent messages to Kim Sae-ron as early as 2016, including phrases like "I miss you" and "I want to hug you."
In response to the accusations, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference, emphasizing that the messages were fabricated. He tearfully stated that he only began dating Kim Sae-ron after she became an adult in 2019. At the time, he also presented conversation analysis results, indicating that the chat partners in the 2016 and 2018 messages were not the same person, but public skepticism persisted.
The police investigation results are now said to further support Kim Soo-hyun's claims. The investigation found that Kim Se-eui obtained 11 screenshots from Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family. While the 2016 conversations initially showed the sender as "unidentifiable," he subsequently changed the name to "Kim Soo-hyun" and added profile photos, with a total of seven instances of editing or tampering. An employee of Garo Sero Institute also told police that changing the chat partner's name to Kim Soo-hyun was allegedly done under Kim Se-eui's instructions.
Furthermore, police determined that an audio file released by Garo Sero Institute in May of last year, claiming to be a recording of Kim Sae-ron, was faked using AI technology. Similarly, claims that Kim Soo-hyun's side attempted to murder the whistleblower were also found to be untrue by the investigation. These findings align with Kim Soo-hyun's previous rebuttals, where he pointed out that the photos and videos released by Garo Sero Institute were actually taken after Kim Sae-ron became an adult and entered university in 2019.
Currently, Kim Se-eui has been detained and indicted on charges including defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, violation of the Act on Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, and the Stalking Punishment Act. In the arrest warrant application, police stated that Kim Se-eui had long disseminated highly inflammatory content, causing irreparable damage to Kim Soo-hyun's image.
Separately, the legal representative for Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family has also been listed as a suspect and is under police investigation for allegedly actively participating in providing relevant data and arranging press conferences.
