Kim Sae-ron’s family to reportedly use digital forensics to prove Kim Soo-hyun dated her as a minor

On March 18, 2025, a South Korean media outlet, Hankyung reported that Kim Sae-ron’s family will reportedly conduct digital forensics on past photos. Through this, they want to prove their claim that Kim Soo-hyun dated the late actress while she was still a minor. However, So-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist had denied the accusations. After reviewing the statement released by Gold Medalist, the family expressed disappointment.

The family stated that they had hoped for an apology. Currently, they have decided to move forward with forensic analysis of images that could support their claims. A representative from Kim Sae-ron’s family stated that they plan to verify the authenticity of these photos and potentially release a video of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron together during their alleged relationship.

The footage may be revealed through the YouTube channel Garosero Institute. As translated by Google, they stated,

"We were hoping for an apology, so we are disappointed. We have decided to conduct a digital forensics analysis of photos that can prove that Kim Sae-ron dated Kim Soo-hyun when she was a minor."

The family also claimed that Kim Soo-hyun’s representatives had suggested using Telegram instead of KakaoTalk for communication. Additionally, they criticized the agency’s actions and pointed out the image of a funeral wreath sent to Kim Sae-ron’s memorial by Gold Medalist. They said that it was an agency employee who attended, not Kim Soo-hyun himself.

Given the length of their relationship, they argued that he should have made a personal visit. They said,

"The agency released a photo saying that they sent a wreath to the deceased's funeral, but it was an employee, not Kim Soo-hyun, who came and went. The two were a long-time couple, so shouldn't Kim Soo-hyun have come?"

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All we know about the Kim Sae-ron & Kim Soo-hyun controversy so far

The controversy began on March 10, 2025, when the Garosero Institute alleged that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron had been romantically involved for six years. For those unversed, Sae-ron took her own life on February 16 which also coincides with Soo-hyun's birthday. Following this, a YouTube channel, Garosero Research Institute, allegedly linked with the actress's family, uploaded videos.

In the video, they stated that the two started dating in 2015 when she was only 15 years old. The channel released images and text messages as supposed evidence of their relationship.

In response, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency Gold Medalist, denied the allegations. They said that the two only dated from mid-2019 to late 2020 after Sae-ron had already become an adult.

Gold Medalist also refuted claims that Kim Soo-hyun had been involved in any attempts to discredit Kim Sae-ron. They also denied working with YouTuber Lee Jin-ho to spread negative rumors and dismissed allegations that they used actress Seo Yea-ji to divert attention from the controversy. Seo Yea-ji was Soo-hyun's co-star in a 2020 drama.

Seo Yea-ji was later accused of school bullying. Since the incident, she had cut ties with the actor and the agency too.

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The dispute escalated further when Sae-ron’s family revealed that Kim Soo-hyun had sent two certified legal notices demanding repayment of debts. They saw this as an attempt to pressure them, while Gold Medalist maintained that they had not filed any claims for damages.

The agency explained that the second letter was merely a formal notice regarding legal procedures and discussions about payment arrangements.