A claim made by YouTube channel HoverLab includes the two actors having a relationship for six years beginning when she was 15 and he was 27. Photos: ANN, Kim Sae-ron/Instagram
Queen Of Tears star Kim Soo-hyun denided recent allegations linking him romantically to the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
On Monday (March 10), Gold Medalist, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, strongly refuted claims made by YouTube channel HoverLab Inc. (Garosero Yeonguso in Korean).
The far-right YouTube Channel earlier that day published a video featuring alleged testimony from Kim Sae-ron's family, claiming the actors had carried on a six-year relationship beginning when she was 15 and he was 27.
The accusations immediately sparked heated reactions across social media platforms worldwide. Many users came down hard on the 37-year-old actor, with comments pointing to inappropriate conduct with a minor.
In a statement, the agency called the allegations "clearly false and baseless" and vowed to pursue "the strongest possible legal actions" against the YouTube channel for "spreading falsehoods."
HoverLab claimed to have verifed the allegations with Kim Sae-ron's parents and shared unfiltered audio from an interview with a relative. The actress took her own life last month at age 24.
The YouTube broadcast brought up additional claims about Kim's financial matters.
According to allegations in the video, Gold Medalist, which represented Kim Sae-ron from 2019 to 2022 and was co-founded by Kim Soo-hyun's relative, initially picked up the tab for a KRW700mil (RM2.13mil) compensation related to the actress's 2022 drunk driving incident but later went after repayment through legal action.
On Tuesday, the channel revealed what it claimed was a desperate text message from Kim Sae-ron to Kim Soo-hyun pleading for more time to repay the debt, which allegedly went unanswered. The channel also hinted that more accusations would follow in upcoming videos.
Following HoverLab's second video, the agency on Wednesday stood firm in its denial of all allegations.
HoverLab has a checkered history of publishing content later ruled false or defamatory by courts. The channel, which started out as far-right political commentary, has lost a number of legal battles over its broadcasting practices in recent years.
In January, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered the channel to shell out KRW45mil (RM137,422) in damages to former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family.
Making a debut as an infant model in 2001, Kim Sae-ron began her acting career at the age of nine with A Brand New Life (2009), which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. She earned acclaim for her performances in The Man From Nowhere (2010) and A Girl At My Door (2014). Her television work included the period fantasy Mirror Of The Witch (2016).
Kim's career took a hit in May 2022 after a drunk driving incident in Gangnam, southern Seoul. She crashed her car into a guardrail and transformer, cutting off electricity to dozens of businesses.
Following public backlash, she withdrew from drama series Trolley and had most of her scenes edited out of Netflix's Bloodhounds.
After the incident, Kim largely retreated from public life, though local media reported she had been attempting to return to acting through small-budget projects and stage plays. Her then agency Gold Medalist did not renew her contract following the incident.
The actress drew fresh attention in March 2024 when she briefly posted a photo with Kim Soo-hyun on social media before quickly taking it down. At that time, Kim Soo-hyun's representatives brushed off dating speculation as "entirely without factual basis."
Gold Medalist's statement expressed regret over Kim Sae-ron's death while condemning HoverLab's actions as "driven solely by self-interest" and harmful to both the company and "the honorr of the deceased." – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
