Late on May 26, South Korean media reported that Kim Se Ui - the operator of the YouTube channel "Garo Sero Research Institute" - was urgently arrested on charges of defaming him for continuously spreading false information targeting actor Kim Soo Hyun.
On the morning of May 27, Kim Soo Hyun's management company Gold Medalist issued a statement about a series of allegations, suspicious evidence and many legal lawsuits related to the case.
According to the company, the KakaoTalk conversations made public by Kim Se Ui and allegedly related to the late actress Kim Sae Ron were actually edited from conversations with others, not related to Kim Soo Hyun.
The voice of the late actor was also confirmed to be a fake document created by AI technology," the company emphasized.
The statement added that due to the seriousness of the incident, the court issued an arrest warrant for Kim Se Ui on charges including: slander by false information, acts related to harassment, monitoring, illegal dissemination of recorded content, coercion and threats.
Kim Soo Hyun and the company declared: "We sincerely thank the investigating agencies for clarifying the truth based on objective evidence.
The company also recalled Kim Soo Hyun's press conference a year ago, when the actor said: "I will not ask people to believe me. I will prove it." At the same time emphasizing: "The past year has been completely devoted to fulfilling that promise".
The statement continued: "The truth has finally been proven through legal procedures and a thorough investigation. We are extremely grateful to all those who have trusted and waited for Kim Soo Hyun.
Previously, Kim Soo Hyun was involved in controversy related to allegations that he had dated the late actress Kim Sae Ron when she was still a minor.
In a press conference in March 2025, despite admitting to dating Kim Sae Ron for about 1 year, the actor resolutely denied that the relationship started when she was not mature enough.
On May 26, Judge Bu Dong Sik of the Seoul Central Court, after questioning the suspect, officially issued an arrest warrant for Kim Se Ui on the grounds of: "There is a risk of destroying evidence and fleeing".
Kim Se Ui is accused of spreading through YouTube and many other channels false information that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, and also claimed that the direct cause of the actress's death was debt repayment pressure from Kim Soo Hyun.
This YouTuber is also accused of using AI to imitate Kim Sae Ron's voice, creating content such as: "The first time having sex with Kim Soo Hyun was during the winter break of 8th grade", thereby damaging Kim Soo Hyun's honor.
Police believe that Kim Se Ui, although knowing that this information is false, still deliberately spread it to attract public attention. Since March last year, Kim Se Ui has held a press conference with Kim Sae Ron's family and continuously made such statements.
