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On March 31, 2025, Queen of Tears actor Kim Soo-hyun held a live press conference to address the allegations of dating late Kim Sae-ron. The actor's legal representative attorney Kim Jong-bok of LKBN Partners was present during the press conference, held at a hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
Kim Soo-hyun began the conference by expressing his deep condolences over Kim Sae-ron's passing, emphasizing the profound respect he held for her as both a colleague and a friend. Addressing the timeline of their relationship, the actor clarified that they were romantically involved from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020 when Kim Sae-ron was legally an adult.
Korean JoongAng Daily reported that Kim Soo-hyun claimed that the chat screenshots provided by the late Kim Sae-ron's family were manipulated. He stated,
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"The late actor's family disclosed KakaoTalk conversation through a press conference. On that YouTube channel, they are framing me as a pa*dophile, accusing me of g**oming based on KakaoTalk chats we had in 2016."
Kim Soo-hyun continued by saying that he and his agency, Gold Medalist, requested "an analysis" that will prove that the chats from 2016 and 2018 were between another person and Kim Sae-ron instead of him.
"The person who is having the conversation with the late actor is different for the KakaoTalk chats made in 2016 and 2018. In order to prove this, I have requested an analysis of the KakaoTalk chat revealed by the late actor's family in 2016, 2018, and this year. The agency showed that the chat made in 2016 and 2018 were made by different people."
"The deceased and I dated for about a year" — Kim Soo-hyun admits dating Kim Sae-ron but denies other allegations
On March 31, 2025, Sports World reported that the 37-year-old actor admitted to dating the late Kim Sae-ron in 2019. He asserted that she was an adult, and they hid their relationship from the world because they are celebrities.
The Queen of Tears actor said that by 2020, they had broken up. However, when the late Kim Sae-ron uploaded an old intimate photo of them on Instagram in March 2024, he denied dating her.
The 37-year-old actor explained that in March 2024, his Netflix series, Queen of Tears was aired, and he did not want to hurt the show and its promotion. Hence, he chose to deny dating her and kept quiet.
Following Kim Sae-ron's s*icide on February 16, 2025, several allegations were made against him and how he allegedly forced her to take her own life. Kim Soo-hyun stated during the live press conference that since March 10, 2025, he has been painted as a "murderer" by the late actress's family and fans. Kim Soo-hyun said,
"It was the same when the deceased uploaded a picture taken with me during the ‘Queen of Tears’ Bae Young. The deceased and I dated for about a year, five years ago, four years before the drama aired. However, I denied the relationship at the time. I think it’s natural to criticize my choice. I understand if you don’t believe what I’m saying about the things between me and the deceased."
Sports World reported that the actor revealed his plans of addressing the allegations when they started circulating since March 10, 2025. However, he kept quiet to protect his family, his company, and the late Kim Sae-ron's reputation.
Kim Soo-hyun went ahead to claim that he was scared that the late actress's family would "blackmail" and "bully" him. @koreadeok reported that the actor said,
"I'm scared of how the bereaved family will blackmail and bully me to admit the false claim after the press conference. I have people whom I need to take responsibility for. Human Kim Soohyun and Star Kim Soohyun's life and more. My people are suffering."
At the end of the press conference, Kim Soo-hyun's attorney, Kim Jong-bok of LKBN Partners, informed the journalist that they have sued the late Kim Sae-ron's family and Garosero YouTube channel for both criminal and civil lawsuits, seeking 12 billion won (around $8.17 million) in damages.
