Could Kim Soo-hyun face legal charges for his alleged relationship with minor Kim Sae-ron? Second letter to late actress before her death revealed

Kim Soo-hyun's attorney has clarified that the actor will unlikely face charges amid the ongoing Kim Sae-ron scandal. On March 14, 2025, the South Korean superstar's legal expert, Lee Go-eun, spoke on YTN's News Square. As quoted by Koreaboo, he explained that South Korea changed its s*xual offense laws against minors in May 2020, saying:

"Engaging in s*xual acts or physical intimacy with a minor under 16, even with consent, could constitute statutory r*pe or s*xual misconduct. However, before the 2020 amendment, the law applied only to minors under 13, not under 16."

According to Lee, the alleged incident took place in 2015 when the late actress was 15. So, the previous law remains in effect. Back then, a relationship alone wasn't enough for legal action without proof of s*xual contact.

"Therefore, it would be difficult to establish criminal liability under the current legal framework unless there is concrete evidence of s*xual acts," he added.

Attorney Lee stressed that any legal action would depend on concrete evidence. Since current laws are not retroactive, the case falls under the previous legal framework, reducing the likelihood of prosecution. On March 18, 2025, Star News obtained a copy of the letter, dated March 25, 2024, titled "Legal Representation for Debt Repayment and Business-related Requests."

It was the Gold Medalist's second certified letter to Kim Sae-ron, demanding debt repayment again. It urged the Bloodhounds actress to avoid actions that could harm the company or its affiliates. As quoted by KBIZoom, Gold Medalist asserted:

"As the legal representative of Gold Medalist (hereinafter referred to as 'our client company'), we are informing you of the designated legal representative handling matters related to debt repayment.

It continued:

Additionally, we politely request that you refrain from engaging in any actions that may disrupt the business operations of our client company and its affiliates."

Gold Medalist's legal team, LKB & Partners, issued the letter. It came just a day after Kim Sae-ron posted a photo on social media touching cheeks with Kim Soo-hyun.

It also mentioned a certified letter sent on March 15, 2024, in which Gold Medalist first demanded repayment. LKB & Partners explained that if the debt remained unpaid, the company's executives could face liability for breach of duty, making repayment essential, stating:

"If the repayment deadline for the loan has passed and the debt is not collected, executives of our client company could be held liable for breach of duty. As the legal representative responsible for our client company's compliance management, we had no choice but to demand repayment, and we ask for your understanding on this matter."

Gold Medalist paid around ₩700 million (₩686,409,653) in penalties after Kim Sae-ron's 2022 DUI incident in 2022. The company classified this payment as a loan and insisted she reimburse the amount.

Following the initial letter, Kim Sae-ron reportedly contacted Kim Soo-hyun via text message, pleading for leniency. Gold Medalist hasn't made an official statement about the second letter yet.

---

Kim Sae-ron’s family is considering legal action

On March 17, 2025, at a press conference outside the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Kim Sae-ron's family lawyer, Bu Ji-seok, said that they intended to hold YouTuber Lee Jin-ho and actor Kim Soo-hyun accountable for allegedly driving the actress to suicide.

The bereaved family is planning legal action against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho and actor Kim Soo-hyun. They are also suing SBS and Dispatch journalists. As quoted by Korea JoongAng Daily, the attorney said:

"We would have pressed charges for murder if we could, but defamation isn't considered a method of killing by the law, so we can, sadly, only hope that the court links the death of Kim Sae-ron to YouTuber Lee Jin-ho's defamation."

He continued:

"But Lee Jin-ho wasn't alone in his actions. There's a cartel of reporters, lawyers and agencies involved."

According to Attorney Bu, Kim Sae-ron posted a photo with her ex-boyfriend, Kim Soo-hyun, on March 24, 2024, to clarify if he wasn't behind the debt repayment notice. Before that, she had tried contacting him privately but got no response.

Her lawyer said she went public out of desperation after failing to get answers. Kim Sae-ron's troubles grew after she got a certified letter urging her to repay her debt within a set timeframe.

The lawsuit also includes YouTuber Lee Jin-ho for repeatedly posting videos about Kim Sae-ron. Lawyer Bu Ji-seok claimed these videos caused severe emotional distress and contributed to her death. Lee admitted to posting four videos, but lawyer Kweon Young-chan said the actual number was closer to seven.