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On March 17, 2025, according to TV Report News, Kim Soo-hyun's recent controversy took a new turn as his manager was accused of colluding with YouTuber Lee Jin-ho in allegedly defaming late actress, Kim Sae-ron.
These allegations were made by Garosero during a press conference held by Kim Sae-ron's family outside the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
In May 2022, actress Kim Sae-ron was involved in a drunk-driving crash that led to significant public backlash and legal consequences. The incident severely impacted her career, leading to her withdrawal from public life. She had to pay 700 million won (around $483,186) in penalty and 20 million won ($13,810) in fines.
Tragically, on February 16, 2025, Kim Sae-ron was found dead in her home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, at the age of 24. Authorities reported no signs of foul play.
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On March 17, Garosero claimed that they had identified two managers from Gold Medalist who were in constant touch with Lee Jin-ho. Garosero is the YouTube channel that first made the dating allegations on March 10, 2025.
According to TV Report News, Garosero's host Kim Se-ui claimed during the press conference held on March 17 that Lee Jin-ho kept track of Kim Sae-ron.
"We have found that two managers, who are believed to be affiliated with Gold Medalist, were in frequent contact with Lee Jin-ho. In particular, while the late Kim Sae-ron was reflecting on herself due to a drunk driving accident, she never said anywhere where she was working part-time, but Lee Jin-ho kept track of her, which raises suspicions."
Late Kim Sae-ron's family claims Gold Medalist and Kim Soo-hyun put undue financial pressure on her
During the press conference on March 17, 2025, TV Report News reported that Kim Sae-ron's family stated that Kim Soo-hyun asked the actress to "talk on Telegram, not KakaoTalk." The bereaved family stressed that as per Kim Sae-ron's last KakaoTalk text to the actor, she seems to be begging him to save her.
This message is reportedly from March 19, 2024. The screenshot of the text was previously released by Kim Sae-ron's family via Garosero livestream.
Meanwhile, the family said during the press conference:
"Kim Soo-hyun asked the late Kim Sae-ron to talk on Telegram, not KakaoTalk. We don't know the details as to why the late Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun broke up, and we can only guess. However, if you look at the text messages the late sent to Kim Soo-hyun, there is one that says, 'Please save me.' It is presumed that they didn't break up because of a big fight."
The family added that Kim Sae-ron posted a picture of her with Kim Soo-hyun in March 2024 which sparked a controversy over their dating history.
Allegedly, Gold Medalist contacted the Bloodhounds actress and asked her to delete the photo from Instagram. Following this, they sent her a legal notice demanding 700 million won ($483,186).
The family claimed that after this incident YouTuber Lee Jin-ho uploaded defamatory videos on his channel, which tainted Kim Sae-ron's reputation.
"After the late Kim Sae-ron uploaded a photo of herself kissing Kim Soo-hyun, the gold medalist called and told her to take the photo down. The next day, they sent the first certified letter, and then Lee Jin-ho's YouTube videos poured in."
On March 14, 2025, The Korea Times reported that after denying the dating allegations, Gold Medalist changed their statement. They accepted that Kim Soo-hyun dated the late actress between the summer of 2019 and the fall of 2020.
In contrast, Kim Sae-ron's family disputed this timeline, asserting that the relationship began when she was a minor. The family demanded an official apology from Kim Soo-hyun and his agency.
They also demanded that Gold Medalist acknowledge Kim Sae-ron as one of the founding members of the company since she had given free labor since the agency was established.
Currently, Kim Sae-ron's family is reportedly set to file a criminal complaint against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho for defamation and more.
