Allegations Against South Korean Actor Kim Soo-hyun Fabricated: Police
The channel had accused Kim Soo-hyun of dating late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor
Police investigations have reportedly found that allegations made by YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, against South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun, were based on edited and fake evidence.
The channel had accused Kim Soo-hyun of dating late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor.
But according to police documents shared by the South Korean media, investigators concluded that the claims were false and were done to harm the actor’s reputation.
Police said that the evidence presented by the channel included manipulated Kakao Talk chat screenshots and an AI-generated voice recording. Investigators found that several parts of the chat screenshots had been edited, including changing the name of the person in the conversation to “Kim Soo-hyun”. Authorities said the original identity of the person in the chats was unclear.
An audio clip released by the channel that was claimed to be Kim Sae-ron’s voice was also found to be created using artificial intelligence.
According to investigators, Kim Se-ui, the head of the HoverLab, was unaware that Kim Soo-hyun had not dated Kim Sae-ron while she was underage, but still continued spreading the allegations. Police believe the claims were shared for financial reasons, including increasing YouTube traffic and revenue.
Following the investigation, prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui, and a court hearing is scheduled for May 26. Kim Se-ui has denied all accusations against him.
The controversy began after Kim Sae-ron’s family, through HoverLab, claimed that she and Kim Soo-hyun started dating in the year 2016 when she was only 15 years old. Kim Soo-hyun’s side strongly denied this saying the two were only in a relationship between 2019 and 2020, after she became an adult.
Kim Sae-ron passed away by suicide in February 2025. Earlier, Kim Soo-hyun had filed defamation cases against HoverLab and Kim Sae-ron’s family over these allegations.
This article is written by Yashasvi M, a student of St. Francis College for Women, interning with Deccan Chronicle.