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On March 11, 2025, the YouTube channel Garosero (@HOVERLAB2018) claimed of sending BTS to the military amidst the late Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun's alleged dating exposé.
The discourse came amidst Queen of Tears star Kim Soo-hyun being accused by Garosero of dating late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. Reportedly, the channel interviewed the late actress' aunt, who claimed that the actor was 27 when he started dating 15-year-old Kim Sae-ron in 2015.
Allegedly, the duo dated each other till 2022 and broke up when Kim Sae-ron got embroiled in a DUI case. During their alleged dating period, the Ordinary Day actor established his agency, Gold Medalist, in 2019.
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The alleged aunt claimed that Sae-ron worked for free for the agency and also gave free acting lessons to rookies to help her alleged boyfriend, Kim Soo-hyun, with his business.
As the allegations became viral, Gold Medalist warned Garosera regarding the repercussions of spreading malicious rumors. In response, Garosero's Kim Se-ui declared that they would report the actor for allegedly having a s*xual relationship with a minor (Kim Sae-ron).
Garosero also dragged BTS into this and said that if they can send the group to the military, then they can also deal with Kim Soo-hyun.
Here is Garosero's full statement:
"Kim Soo-hyun must not know who Kim Se-ui from Garosero Research Institute is, LOL. Legal action, huh? Even the oh-so-great world star BTS once threatened legal action against Garosero. What was the outcome? All of them went off to enslit. So, what can Kim Soo-hyun do? He’s a mere Hallyu star who’s only popular in China."
The channel continued:
"We dare you to try pulling that ‘legal action’ stunt on the bereaved, too. LOL. And sometime tomorrow, you can expect a report to be filed against you for the charge of having s*x with a minor. Dating an 8th grader?! We sure hope you didn’t actually have s*x with her."
Garosero allegations: Kim Soo-hyun and the Late Kim Sae-ron's alleged relationship
Garosero Research Institute's reported conversation with Kim Sae-ron's aunt alleged that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron began dating when she was 15 and he was 27.
Additionally, the aunt claimed that following Kim Sae-ron's DUI incident, Kim Soo-hyun lent her 700 million KRW but later issued a formal debt notice, causing significant distress to the actress.
On May 18, 2022, Kim Sae-ron was involved in a drunk-driving accident in the Gangnam District of Seoul. Driving under the influence, she collided with a transformer, guardrails, and street trees. The impact caused a power outage that affected 57 businesses and shops in the vicinity for about three hours.
The following day, Kim Sae-ron's agency, Gold Medalist, issued a statement acknowledging the incident and expressing Kim Sae-ron's deep remorse.
"Garosero Research Institute claimed that our company and actor Kim Soo-hyun colluded with YouTuber Lee Jin-ho to harass the late actress Kim Sae-ron. They claimed that the late actress Kim Sae-ron had dated Kim Soo-hyun since she was 15. They claimed that our agency handled the late actress Kim Sae-ron's drunk driving accident unfairly, and claimed that our manager was close with YouTuber Lee Jin-ho."
Gold Medalist also informed the public that efforts were underway to compensate for the damages caused by the crash.
"However, all of these are false facts that we can absolutely not overlook, and our company plans to consider taking the strongest possible legal action against Garosero Research Institute for spreading false facts. We are heartbroken by the news of the death of the late actress Kim Sae Ron, who was once with our company, and we mourn the deceased."
The court fined her 20 million KRW (approximately $13,715.02). She also paid 700 million KRW (around $480,324.11) in damages to the 57 shops, which was covered by Gold Medalist.
The repercussions of the incident were swift. The actress had to withdraw from the SBS drama Trolley. Additionally, Netflix announced that it would not proceed with shooting additional scenes with her for the series Bloodhounds. In between the ongoing Netflix series, her character was written off by the show's director.
As a result of the DUI case, Kim Sae-ron suffered massive public backlash, and her career was ruined. She was reportedly working part-time in cafés to make ends meet. On February 16, 2025, she was found dead by her friend.
Kim Sae-ron was 24 years old. An investigation concluded her death as a s*icide. A private funeral was held at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul on February 19.
