On September 8, South Korean media simultaneously reported that the investigation into Kim Soo Hyun related to allegations of violating the Law on Child Welfare had basically ended after about 1 year and 4 months. The East Seoul Prosecutor's Office (South Korea) did not request additional investigation or re-investigation, and returned the file to the police.
On September 3, the East Seoul Procuracy returned the case file to the Seongdong Police Department. Previously, on July 29, the police decided not to transfer Kim Soo Hyun's file to the prosecution because they believed there was not enough evidence to determine that the actor violated the Law on Child Welfare.
The incident began in May 2025, when the family of late actress Kim Sae Ron accused Kim Soo Hyun. The family of the late actor accused Kim Soo Hyun of having a romantic relationship with Kim Sae Ron when she was not yet a minor, and also claimed that the actress suffered mental and sexual harm.
Kim Soo Hyun denied the allegations. During the investigation, the police examined the testimony, documents provided by the parties involved and evidence made public during the argument.
Some documents that were used to reinforce the allegations were also verified by the investigating agency. Among them, the recording introduced as Kim Sae Ron's voice was identified as using AI technology. Text messages believed to be conversations between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron were also identified as fake.
After the verification process, the police concluded that there was not enough basis to transfer Kim Soo Hyun's file to the prosecution. The Procuracy continued to review the file but did not request further investigation. Therefore, the police's decision was maintained and the case was basically closed. The complainant still has the right to carry out complaint procedures as prescribed.
In parallel with the above incident, Kim Se Ui, head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute, has repeatedly made accusations related to the relationship between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron since March 2025. This person is currently facing accusations related to spreading false information about Kim Soo Hyun.
After a long period of limited appearances in Korea, Kim Soo Hyun is gradually returning to showbiz. The actor born in 1988 reappears with advertising activities for the Philippine fashion brand BENCH.
On August 23, Kim Soo Hyun went to Jakarta (Indonesia) to participate in the live program "Mahakarya RCTI 37", on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of RCTI television station.
On September 19, he is expected to appear at The Fact Music Awards 2026 in Busan (Korea) as the award presenter. Kim Soo Hyun is also scheduled to attend Asia Artist Awards 2026 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China), in December.
The fact that the investigation into Kim Soo Hyun is basically closed opens the way for the actor to continue his activities in Korea. However, his return still received many mixed reactions from the public after a period of controversy.
