Actor Kim Soo-hyun’s agency has announced legal action against a YouTube channel that alleged he was in a romantic relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
Gold Medalist, Kim’s management company, said on Mar. 10 that claims made in a recent broadcast by the YouTube channel Hoverlab were “blatantly false.”
The channel aired a program titled “[Exclusive] Was Kim Soo-hyun Involved in Actress Kim Sae-ron’s Death? (Alleged Six-Year Relationship Beginning When She Was 15),” alleging that Kim and Kim Sae-ron had been in a relationship since 2015, when she was 15 and he was 27. The broadcast also reported that Kim Sae-ron’s family had criticized Gold Medalist’s handling of her 2022 drunk driving incident. Additionally, it claimed that a YouTuber, referred to as “A,” whom the family accused of spreading negative content about Kim Sae-ron, had ties to both Gold Medalist and one of its managers.
The agency dismissed the allegations, stating, “Hoverlab made numerous malicious claims suggesting that Kim Soo-hyun and our company colluded with YouTuber A to harass Kim Sae-ron. These accusations are entirely false and unacceptable.” It added that it is “reviewing the strongest possible legal action” against the channel.
Expressing sorrow over Kim Sae-ron’s passing, the agency said, “We mourn her loss with deep sadness, as she was once part of our company. However, the spread of such falsehoods mirrors the very cyber harassment that deeply affected her during her lifetime. These claims not only defame our company but also tarnish the late actress’s honor, and we will respond firmly.”
The agency urged the public to refrain from spreading baseless speculation, emphasizing that “such misinformation holds no value.”
Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seoul’s Seongdong-gu on Feb. 16. She and Kim Soo-hyun were previously signed with Gold Medalist. Last March, Kim Soo-hyun denied rumors linking him to Kim Sae-ron, calling them “entirely unfounded.”
