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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Hallyuwood devider Kim Sae-ron's family files complaint vs Kim Soo-hyun for violating Child Welfare Act

Kim Sae-ron's family files complaint vs Kim Soo-hyun for violating Child Welfare Act

Published May 7, 2025 05:14 pm

At A Glance

  • Kim Soo-hyun's side denies allegations 

The family of the late Korean Kim Sae-ron filed a complaint against “Queen of Tears” star Kim Soo-hyun for violation of the Child Welfare Act and false accusation. 

On May 7, Buji Seok, a lawyer representing Kim Sae-ron’s family, held a press conference to announce the details of the complaint.

Kim Sae-ron was found dead on Feb. 16, Kim Soo-hyun’s birthday. In a message, she said she and Kim Soo-hyun dated from 2015 to 2021 or six years. 

But Kim Soo-hyun said he dated her when she became an adult from 2019 to 2020. 

YouTube channel HoverLab (Garosero Research Institute) and the actress’ family accused Kim Soo-hyun of dating her when she was a minor. 

Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron (Screenshots from HoverLab video on YouTube)

The lawyer said Kim Sae-ron’s family filed a complaint against Kim Soo-hyun through his law firm for violation of the Child Welfare Act and false accusation.

Kim Soo-hyun is accused of violating Article 17, Paragraph 2 of the Child Welfare Act. 

Under the provision, anyone is prohibited from “having a child engage in lewd acts or arranging such acts, or committing sexual harassment or sexual abuse against a child that may make him or her feel sexually ashamed,” according to a copy on the Korean Law Information Center. 

“Article 17, Paragraph 2 of the Child Welfare Act punishes those who cause a child to engage in obscene acts or mediate such acts, or commit sexual abuse such as sexual harassment against a child. The bereaved family confirmed that Kim Soo-hyun had made the late Kim Sae-ron commit obscene acts or sexually harassed her since the winter break of her second year of middle school when she was a minor, and filed a complaint for violation of the Child Welfare Act,” the lawyer said. 

He added, “However, Kim Soo-hyun, who said he would prove the truth through the investigative agency, continued to repeat his claim that the evidence was fabricated, and YouTubers such as Lee Jin-ho are also making the same claim as Kim Soo-hyun without any clear evidence. At the same time, Kim Soo-hyun is abusing lawsuits against the bereaved family. Despite this, the bereaved family has been maintaining the principle of not responding, believing that the truth will be revealed through the investigative agency.”

Kim Soo-hyun filed a lawsuit against Kim Sae-ron’s family, HoverLab and a person introduced as an “aunt.” 

The lawyer claimed that an informant who recently helped Kim Sae-ron’s family was offered money for important evidence but when he refused, he received “serious threat.” 

“Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron had been dating since she was a minor. Despite this, Kim Soo-hyun filed a complaint against the bereaved family for defamation by spreading false information. The bereaved family filed a complaint on the charge that Kim Soo-hyun had falsely accused the bereaved family in order to have them receive criminal punishment,” the lawyer said. 

He said along with the complaint, they requested an investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. 

The lawyer claimed the informant was attacked with a weapon. 

“The investigation revealed that the attacker was a Korean-Chinese who had entered the United States only a few days before the attack, and the person who had brought the Korean-Chinese to the attack site was also a Korean who had entered the United States not long ago. Accordingly, we have requested an investigation into the exact identity of the Korean and the circumstances of the attack,” he claimed. 

He added, “In addition to threats to the informant's personal safety, vehicles suspected of stalking have been seen around the house of the late Kim Sae-ron's aunt. We earnestly request police protection for the bereaved family and Kim Se-ui's representative.”

Kim Soo-hyun's side refutes allegations 

In response to the press conference, LKB & Partners, the law firm representing Kim Soo-hyun and Gold Medalist, issued a statement to deny the allegations. 

"Through the press conference, they claimed to have obtained the recorded file with actress Kim Sae-ron, but the recorded file in question was completely forged, and Gold Medalist [Kim Soo-hyun’s agency] understands that the recorded file in question was created using AI, etc.," it said. 

It added that the person who delivered the recorded file to HoverLab “is a scammer who approached Gold Medalist, saying that there was a recorded file of actress Kim Sae-ron making favorable remarks about actor Kim Soo-hyun." 

"The person who delivered the recorded file sent part of the recorded file containing actress Kim Sae-ron's voice and demanded money from Gold Medalist, but the recorded file was actually a manipulated version of actress Kim Sae-ron's voice, and Gold Medalist did not accept any of the person who delivered the recorded file's demands," the law firm said. 

It added, "The person who delivered the recording file has no connection to actress Kim Sae-ron, and when the scam against Gold Medalist didn't work, they conspired with HoverLab to release a forged recording file of actress Kim Sae-ron. As mentioned earlier, Gold Medalist has determined that the person who delivered the recording file forged the recording file containing actress Kim Sae-ron's voice using AI, etc., and we are conducting a technical verification of this and will share the results as soon as they are available."

About the attack photo on the informant, the law firm said, "HoverLab claimed at a press conference that the person who sent the recorded file was attacked at the instigation of Gold Medalist or lawyer Ko Sang-rok and released the attack photo." 

"HoverLab’s claim is an absolutely unacceptable false claim, and it is difficult to accept even from a common sense perspective. In fact, the attack photo HoverLab released is one that can be immediately confirmed through an Internet search, and HoverLab and the person who sent the recorded file are claiming that the photo they downloaded from the Internet is an attack photo," it said. 

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