South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun apologized over accusations that he dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. “I’m sorry. So many people are suffering because of me, and I feel deeply saddened that Kim Sae-ron can’t rest in peace,” he said, bowing his head during a press conference in Seoul on March 31.
Kim explained, “Kim Sae-ron and I were in a relationship for about a year, starting four years before ‘Queen of Tears’ aired in 2020. I denied the relationship at the time.” He added, “We did not date when she was a minor. It’s also untrue that she made a tragic decision because of my rejection or because my agency pressured her over debts.”
While Kim confirmed his past relationship with Kim Sae-ron, he strongly denied claims that they were involved when she was underage.
Speaking somberly with a shaky voice, Kim responded to a YouTube channel representing Kim Sae-ron’s family, which suggested he was responsible for her tragic end. He denied accusations that he played a role in her struggles during a past DUI incident. “Her agency’s representative claimed she struggled because of me during the incident, but that’s not true,” he explained. “At that time, I knew she was seeing someone else, so I was careful about reaching out to her.” He continued, “Now, they’re claiming I caused her death because I was her ex-boyfriend, and they’re pressuring me to confess to something I didn’t do.”
Kim also expressed his anxiety over the private details being exposed through a YouTube channel. “I consider myself a coward,” he said, wiping away tears. “It took me a long time to get here. Every time my private life was exposed, I thought, ‘Maybe tomorrow, I’ll just tell everything,’ or ‘Let’s end this hellish situation.’”
At the end of the press conference, attorney Kim Jong-bok from LKB & Partners, representing Kim, said, “We have filed a defamation complaint against Kim Sae-ron’s family, an unidentified individual claiming to be her aunt, and the operators of the YouTube channel Hover Lab.” He added, “We also filed a lawsuit seeking 12 billion won in damages with the Seoul Central District Court today.”
The accusations first surfaced on March 10 when the YouTube channel claimed that Kim had been in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron since she was 15 and that their relationship lasted six years. Kim’s agency Gold Medalist quickly denied the accusations, calling them “false,” but negative public sentiment persisted. This press conference, held 21 days after the allegations emerged, marks Kim Soo-hyun’s first public response.
