“Kim Soo-hyun was not in a position to be leisurely waiting for someone”- Actor presents evidence refuting intimate chats with underage Kim Sae-ron

On Monday, October 13, Kim Soo-hyun refuted the previous allegations raised by Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family regarding a series of texts exchanged between the two parties. In March of this year, the attorney of Kim Sae-ron's family, Bu Ji-seok, and the head of Garosero Research Institute, Kim Se-ui, held a press conference.

During the conference, they revealed screenshots of several messages shared between Kim Sae-ron and an anonymous man in 2016, who was later found to be actor Kim Soo-hyun. The chats allegedly hinted at a romantic environment between the two parties. Therefore, Kim Sae-ron's side further justified Kim Soo-hyun's alleged grooming of Kim Sae-ron when she was underage.

However, according to the schedule obtained by Money Today, the actor was rather occupied with the filming of the 2017 film, Real. The report explained that the actor was on the filming set at Yeongjongdo, Incheon, between 8 AM to 10 PM every day. Additionally, his commute home in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, took about two hours, which gave him little time to meet and hang out with Kim Sae-ron.

Here's what a representative from Money Today stated about the actor's schedule:

"Kim Soohyun was so busy filming at the time that he didn't even have time to open his eyes. He would go to sleep as soon as he got home because he had to film action scenes while getting splashed with water every day, and he would wake up at dawn and go straight to the filming set. At that time, Kim Soohyun was not in a position to be leisurely waiting for someone."

Moreover, the attorney of Kim Soo-hyun, Ko Sang-rok from the Phil Law Firm, also added that no proof suggests that the person conversing with Kim Sae-ron could be Kim Soo-hyun. Here's what he stated about the same, according to Money Today:

"There is nothing in the messages that identifies the man as Kim Soo Hyun. In fact, the conversation is suspiciously vague — the man never mentions what he’s doing or where he is. This suggests that the GaroSero Research Institute and Attorney Boo deliberately hid the sender’s actual schedule or activities. The bereaved family knows who the real sender was.”

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All you need to know about the ongoing controversy between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron

In March 2025, the YouTube channel, GaroSero Research Institute, claimed that Kim Soo-hyun was involved in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron between the years 2015 and 2021. At the time when they allegedly began their relationship, Sae-ron was fifteen years old while Soo-hyun was twenty-seven years old, leading to grooming allegations.

The bereaved family of the actress aimed to reveal this truth and gain justice for the late actress by reaching out to the GaroSero Research Institute. However, the actor's agency has denied these rumours. While they admitted that the two had previously been in a relationship, they stated the couple had only been together for a year, and the relationship began after Sae-ron became a major.

The controversy led to the actor's loss of endorsements and partnership with companies like Prada, Dinto, and more. As a result, Gold Medalist, the actor's agency, filed multiple lawsuits against Kim Sae-ron's family and GaroSero Research Institute's CEO, Kim Se-ui, under the charges of defamation, stalking, and other related offenses.

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The legal conclusions are yet to be revealed, and the controversy continues to intensify and elongate between the two parties, Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ran's family.

Edited by Aishwarya Sai