Kim Soo Hyun tearfully denies dating Kim Sae Ron as minor, claims her family’s evidence was fake, reveals more lawsuits against them

Recently the side of Kim Sae Ron‘s family held a press conference and provided evidence of his alleged grooming and mistreatment of her, which was then followed by Sulli’s family demanding answers regarding her explicit scenes in the movie Real, and after being conspicuously silent for days, Kim Soo Hyun finally decided to speak up at a press conference, where there was a lot of crying.

Well, if you were expecting him to back down, you’re going to be sorely disappointed, as he essentially doubled down on what he’s said to this point, just doing it on camera and in person.

There was some self-flagellation in terms of calling himself a coward for not doing this earlier, but at the core of the controversy, he maintains he did not date Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor.

“To clarify what everyone is most curious about: I did not date the deceased when she was a minor. It’s also untrue that our agency pressured her over debts, leading to her tragic choice.”
He further emphasized the nature of their relationship, “We were ordinary lovers who shared genuine feelings and eventually parted ways. Like most ex-couples, we didn’t maintain contact afterward, it felt inappropriate.”

Given the evidence that has been presented, how is that possible? Well, he claims the evidence has been manipulated, focusing on things like incorrect dates and age gaps. (1/2/3/4)

Kim Soo-hyun: Discussing a message reportedly from Kim Sae-ron. This KakaoTalk message has so many things wrong to think that [Kim Sae-ron] wrote it. It was a photo taken in 2019. 
If it was really [Kim Sae-ron] she couldn’t have got me and her age difference wrong. And it is not possible for her to get the agency name and the contracted period wrong. And she was only contracted as an actor at our agency. She was not involved in casting or visual directing.
Kim Soo-hyun: These fake testimonials and evidence are piling up just because we dated. 
Kim Soo-hyun: The late actor’s family disclosed KakaoTalk conversation through a press conference. On that YouTube channel, they are framing me as paedophile, accusing me of gromming based on KakaoTalk chats we had in 2016. 
The person who is having the conversation with the late actor is different for the KakaoTalk chats made in 2016 and 2018. In order to prove this, I have requested analysis into the KakaoTalk chat revealed by the late actor’s family in 2016, 2018 and this year. 
The agency showed that the chat made in 2016 and 2018 were made by different people.  There is evidence of photos and videos and KakaoTalk chat that’s not original but that have been cleverly manipulated.

Looking into what exactly that analysis was, I found that the company is claiming Kim Sae Ron was chatting with different people based on their writing style through text messages. So basically, they’re claiming Kim Soo Hyun can’t be the person sending those texts because the writing styles from a decade ago are different.

But what about the pressure over the debt? He also denies that playing a role, providing a recording of their previous stance that they informed her agency it was a formality. (1/2)

Kim played audio he says is from a phone call between the former CEO of Goldmedalist and the CEO of Kim Sae-ron’s former agency Management Run.
**audio recording starts**
Former Goldmedalist CEO Byeon Jin-ho: Another demand letter will be sent.
Management Run CEO Ko Song-a: Yes, yes.
Byeon: It’ll be sent from here. Don’t be surprised. It’s just part of the procedure. I can’t just say “please accept it” verbally. I hope you can explain this to Kim Sae-ron.
**audio recording ends**
Kim Soo-hyun: Regarding the second debt payment, the controversy is this. I can’t tell if it is a complete lie but I can’t say that I did something that I did not do. The voice recording disclosed by the late actor’s family is something that’s newly recorded. And the same goes for the KakaoTalk chat that the late family initially revealed.

So again, he questions the legitimacy of the family’s evidence that she was distressed about the debt, where in their recordings her company’s CEO indicated there was financial pressure.

Kim responded, “After our relationship was exposed, the YouTube channel (Garo Sero) released newly recorded calls with her last agency CEO to falsely portray debt pressure. The call shows former Gold Medalist CEO Byun Jin-ho clearly explaining the notice was routine administrative procedure, not threat.”
He added, “I can’t confirm if her last agency CEO is lying now compared to a year ago, but I won’t admit to things I didn’t do. All the family’s evidence – voice recordings and KakaoTalks – were newly produced after the scandal broke and are fabricated.”

So why not at least reach out to Kim Sae Ron to make things clear if she somehow didn’t get the message? He says they had already moved on and she was dating somebody else, which made him cautious.

Kim Soo-hyun: We were already living our own lives and I didn’t know what to say. This may just sound like an excuse. I did think I might as well just listen to whatever people say and stay silent. I always received overwhelming love and that was often followed by a lot of misunderstandings as well. Sometimes rumors just circulate as if they are facts. I thought that was my burden to carry.

Why deny the relationship back when Queen Of Tears was on? Well, he actually had a surprising amount to say about this, specifically. (1/2/3/4/5/6)

Kim Soo-hyun also addressed the controversy sparked by a past social media post from Kim Sae-ron. “When the late Kim posted a photo with me during the airing of ‘Queen of Tears,’ I denied it. We dated for about a year, four years before ‘Queen of Tears’ aired, five years ago. I understand why people criticize my choice to lie then. Even if you don’t believe what I say now about our relationship, I get it. But I believe this is my only chance to speak openly like this.”

I do kinda feel like he was inadvertently telling on himself and how he sees things with this quote…

Kim Soo-hyun: Whenever there was a situation and the choice for Kim Soo-hyun as a human being and Kim Soo-hyun as a celebrity came up, I think I always chose in favor of the celebrity.

…but he says he accepts criticism for that choice, but if he had to do it all over again, he would do the same because he was thinking about everybody who worked on the show.

“So I was afraid every day. As a star, I constantly feared that everything I chose to protect would turn against me like poison. I was afraid of everything. But even if I could go back to the time when ‘Queen of Tears’ was airing, I would make the same choice again,” he also stated.

Kim Soo-hyun: When “Queen of Tears” was airing, I had so much to protect as its lead actor. What would have happened if I had admitted to a yearlong relationship. What would happen to the actors,  the staff who were working overnight and the production team who had all everything staked on that project. What would happen to our agency’s employees.

Kim Soo-hyun: Could I really make that decision just for my peace of mind? The more I thought of it, the more I thought that shouldn’t be what I do.

Kim Soo-hyun: I thought that it was my reponsibility as a person who lives the life of Kim Soo-hyun. I am willing to receive any criticism that say I am selfish and cowardly.

Ah, it was a noble sacrifice for the greater good of everybody else. Think of the staff and such, if you attack me over that it’s like attacking them, after all.

In the end, his legal team announced new lawsuits against Kim Sae Ron’s family and Garo Sero Institute.

Kim has addressed the issue directly. And standing by his will, Kim Soo-hyun and Goldmedalist have requested the law firm explore both criminal and civil litigation to get the facts straight. 
We have filed a complaint against the family of the deceased and Hoverlab operators while filing a complaint on damages worth 12 billion won to the Supreme Central District Court.

They say they will not take questions due to ongoing criminal litigation.

——

Speaking of legal stuff, Kim Sae Ron’s family had previously sued cyberwrecker Lee Jin Ho for defamation, and when he didn’t stop they requested an injunction, accusing him of stalking Kim Sae Ron and her family. He has now been ordered by the court to suspend talking about them for three months.

CBS No Cut News reported that the court recognized Lee Jin Ho’s actions as a stalking crime and issued a provisional order. As a result, Lee Jin Ho will be prohibited from broadcasting on YouTube about the late Kim Sae Ron and her bereaved family for three months. It was added that the bereaved family also plans to file an additional lawsuit against Lee Jin Ho for defamation due to false information in his recent broadcasts.

Well, that’s one positive at least.