It appears Kim Soo Hyun has done more damage to his reputation with the press conference he attended in person with his legal representatives.
The 37-year-old Kdrama actor held a press conference at the Stanford Hotel in Seoul’s Mapo-gu district on March 31, accompanied by his lawyer, Kim Jong Bok of LKB & Partners. This press conference comes 21 days after allegations against him surfaced on a YouTube channel on the 10. He was accused of dating late actress Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, who committed suicide on his birthday, February 16.
After denying a romantic relationship with her multiple times, he finally admitted to dating her when multiple photos and videos were released by the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute.
However, he refuted claims of being in a relationship with her when she was 16. Even though the evidence revealed by the YouTube channel suggests otherwise, Kim Soo Hyun has denied dating her when for 6 years at the press conference once again.
Kim Soo Hyun Denies Dating Kim Sae Ron When She Was 16
Kim Soo Hyun not only denied allegations of dating her before she became a legal adult but also addressed initial denials. For those unversed, the dating rumors surfaced last year in March 2024 when the late actress shared intimate photos. After a denial by his agency Gold Medalist, Kim Saeron was mercilessly criticized by his fans and netizens.
During the press conference, the Kdrama actor stated, “I never dated (Kim Saeron) when she was a minor. Aside from the fact that we both were actors, our relationship was just like any other normal couple. We dated each other sincerely and after some time, we broke up. After that, we were not able to contact like we used to. Just like any other couple, contacting a lover after breaking up is a very cautious thing.”
Kim Soo Hyun Explains Previous Denials
The “Real” actor also explained that he denied their relationship due to its potential impact on tvN drama “Queen of Tears”, which was airing at the time.
He expressed, “The truth is, the deceased and I dated for about a year, five years ago, four years before “Queen of Tears” aired. But at the time, I denied our relationship.
I think it’s only natural for people to criticize my choices. I understand if some of you find it hard to believe what I’m saying about everything that happened between me and the deceased. But this is the only chance I have to speak like this. If you could just listen to me this one time, I would be truly grateful.
Becoming an actor brought me more love than I ever deserved. I wasn’t someone who had much to begin with, but before I knew it, I had so much to protect. Even while “Queen of Tears” was airing, there were many things I had to safeguard as the lead actor.
I kept wondering, what would happen if I admitted to having been in a relationship with someone I dated years ago? What about the actors working alongside me, the staff staying up all night on set, the production company that poured everything into this project, and the company that supports me?
Whenever I faced a choice between being Kim Soohyun the person and Kim Soohyun the star, I always chose to protect the star.
So, to be honest, I was afraid every single day. I kept thinking, what if all the choices I made to protect Kim Soohyun the star ended up backfiring on me? I was scared of everything.
If I could go back to that time (“Queen of Tears” was airing) I would still make the same choice because I couldn’t have done otherwise. Even if I wanted to trust my own feelings, I felt that I shouldn’t make that decision on my own, because that is the responsibility of carrying the name Kim Soo Hyun. If anyone thinks that choice was cowardly or selfish, I will accept all criticism.”
Kim Soo Hyun Says He is Not Responsible For Kim Sae Ron Death
Kim Soo Hyun is accused of being the reason she committed suicide as there are claims of him broking up with her, cheating on her several times, and forcing her to repay 700 million KRW debt even when she could not resume acting career due to DUI incident in 2022.
The “Queen of Tears” actor denies any connection to her making an extreme choice, “And it is not true that she made a tragic choice because I turned my back on her or because my agency pressured her over her debts.”
He added, “We were both well-known actors, and when she was still in the same agency as me, I had some idea of how she was doing. That made it even more difficult for me to reach out.
So when she had her DUI accident, I couldn’t easily contact her. I heard a YouTube channel, speaking on behalf of her family, say that her last agency’s CEO claimed she was struggling because of me at that time. But as far as I know, she was dating someone else then. Because of that, I felt it wasn’t my place to reach out to her in that situation.
We were already living our separate lives, and I didn’t know what I could possibly say. I understand that my words might sound like excuses. There were times when I just wanted to stay silent, no matter what the world said.”
Kim Soo Hyun slammed the bereaved family, saying, “But now, the deceased’s family is claiming that because I was her ex-boyfriend, I drove her to her death. They are demanding that I confess to something I didn’t do. [They say] You manipulated her since she was a minor. You threatened her with money, you are a murderer.”
He added, “After the family revealed my past relationship with the deceased, a YouTube channel representing their position released a statement from her last agency. In a newly recorded call, they claimed that my agency had sent a second legal notice regarding debt, pressuring her over financial issues. But if you listen to a call from a year ago with my former agency’s CEO, you’ll hear a completely different story.”
Kim Soo Hyun Calls the KakaoTalk Messages Revealed by the Bervead Family “Fake”
A few days back, the legal representative of Kim Sae Ron’s family held a press conference and revealed the exchanges between the two in 2016. Kim Soo Hyun has disregarded that evidence as “fake” and it was with another person. He plans to submit the forensic results to authorities.
Kim Soo Hyun revealed, “However, the person speaking with the deceased in the 2016 KakaoTalk messages is not the same person as in the 2018 messages. To prove this, I submitted the 2016 and 2018 messages provided by the family, along with my own recent KakaoTalk conversations from this year, to a forensic analysis agency for scientific verification. The agency concluded that, as you can see, the individuals in the 2016 and 2018 conversations are not the same person. This has been the most painful part since the family’s accusations began.”
He added, “Whenever my agency or I respond to their so-called evidence, suddenly, a new voice recording appears. Photos and videos with altered timestamps, as well as edited KakaoTalk images instead of the originals, are presented as proof. Fake testimony and fabricated evidence continue to spread, all because I once had a relationship with the deceased. I will accept any criticism for the choices I have made. But that doesn’t mean that lies suddenly become the truth.”
Kim Soohyun further said, “The deceased was only an actress under her former agency. She was never involved in casting rookie actors or working as a visual director.
Recently, the family also revealed KakaoTalk conversations they claim were between me and the deceased. Meanwhile, that YouTube channel is using messages from 2016 to frame me as a pedophile and someone who groomed a minor.”
Kim Soo Hyun Sues Kim Sae Ron’s Family for 12 Billion KRW Lawsuit
Kim Soo Hyun is receiving immense backlash for suing the bereaved family for a 12 billion won damages lawsuit. Today, the legal team of Kim Soo Hyun filed a lawsuit against the late Kim Sae Ron’s family, seeking 12 billion KRW in damages.
