The family of the late Korean actress Kim Sae-ron has issued a second statement asking “Queen of Tears” star Kim Soo-hyun to admit that he dated her when she was a minor and apologize.
The family issued seven points through the live broadcast of the YouTube channel HoverLab (Garosero Research Institute) on March 15.
Kim Sae-ron was found dead last Feb. 16, coincidentally on Kim Soo-hyun’s birthday. Her career came to halt when she was involved in a drunk driving incident in May 2022.
"Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron dated from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020. It is not true that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor,” Gold Medalist said in a statement on March 14, Korean media reported.
HoverLab earlier presented a message written by Kim Sae-ron in which she said her relationship with Kim Soo-hyun was from 2015 to 2021.
“The photo posted in the story is from 2016, and the relationship lasted from November 19, 2015 to July 7, 2021. I am 16 years old and my partner is 30 years old. That was it. That's how the six-year relationship ended,” she wrote. Kim Soo-hyun was 27 at the time.
Kim Soo-hyun kissing Kim Sae-ron (Screenshots from HoverLab videos on YouTube)
HoverLab uploaded this photo on March 15 claiming that it is Kim Soo-hyun (Screenshot from HoverLab video on YouTube)
In the statement, the family said, “We are the bereaved family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron.”
“What the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron wants: First, we want Kim Soo Hyun to admit that he dated Kim Sae Ron since she was a minor and make an official apology.”
They also said, “Second, we want an official apology from Gold Medalist, the agency that claimed they had never dated for the past three years and then denied it just three days ago."
“Third, I want you to admit to the part that Kim Sae Ron contributed as a founding member of the company and apologize for that part,” they added.
The family said, “Fourth, I want you to admit to sending Kim Sae-ron a certified letter and demanding payment of 700 million won and make an official apology.”
“Fifth, the reason Kim Soo-hyun was mentioned in the statement was to focus on warning [YouTuber] Lee Jin-ho and cyber wreckers, and our bereaved family wants nothing more than an official apology from Kim Soo Hyun and his agency,’ they said.
They said, “Sixth, in order to prove the false facts about Lee Jin-ho, we had no choice but to reveal the story that Sae-ron had dated Kim Soo-hyun, so I hope you understand that I had no choice but to reveal Kim Soo-hyun's photo.”
“Seventh, “Seventh, I hope that Lee Jin-ho will make a sincere public apology as we plan to file a complaint (indictment) against him next week. We also hope that he will apologize for calling during the funeral, after the funeral, and when he visited the ossuary and said, ‘I can't find it.’ He said that he was just checking the facts, but the bereaved family feels like they were mocked and are upset,” they said.
Gold Medalist issued a new statement on March 15, saying, "We have confirmed the position of Kim Sae-ron's mother, which was revealed through the ((Garosero Research Institute) broadcast. We deeply sympathize with the parts that her mother pointed out regarding the various reporting behaviors regarding the deceased. Kim Soo-hyun is also suffering damage due to Garosero Research Institute’s reporting, as stated in our recent statement."
They continued, "However, it seems that there are some parts of her mother's claims that we have different thoughts on. We also believe that there are things that she was not aware of yet. We believe that publicly clarifying the rights and wrongs is inappropriate for both the mother and the deceased, who were trying to find any way to restore the deceased's honor. We would like to have our management meet with her mother and provide a sufficient explanation. Please contact the Gold Medalist office at any time and we would be grateful."
In addition to the family’s statement, Garosero Research Institute also revealed a nude photo of a man and claimed it was Kim Soo-hyun.