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On March 31, 2025, Reuters reported that South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference to address allegations regarding his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
The BBC reported that the 37-year-old actor firmly denied claims that he had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was underage, stating,
"I never dated her when she was a minor. Except for the fact that both of us were actors, our relationship was just like that of any other ordinary couple."
During the press conference, Kim Soo-hyun became visibly emotional, breaking down in tears as he addressed the gathered media. He apologized for causing distress to many people and expressed sadness over the situation.
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He called himself a "star" and said that in March 2024, when Netflix's Queen of Tears was released, he had to deny dating Kim Sae-ron.
"I had so much to protect as its lead actor. What would have happened if I had admitted to a year-long relationship? What would happen to the actors, the staff who were working overnight and the production team who had everything staked on that project?"
The actor continued:
"As I am a star Kim Soohyun, I could not admit dating Kim Saeron while 'Queen of Tears' were being aired. I won't change my decision even now, that is a responsibility of star Kim Soohyun should have."
For the unversed, in March 2024, the late Kim Sae-ron uploaded an intimate picture of her and Kim Soo-hyun on Instagram, which sparked a dating controversy.
The actress deleted the post after a few hours. The 37-year-old actor and his agency denied dating allegations. After a few days, the news died down as Queen of Tears became a global hit.
On February 16, 2025, Kim Sae-ron's death by s*icide made breaking news. A month later, on March 10, her aunt and Garosero investigative media YouTube channel accused Kim Soo-hyun of dating the actress when she was a minor. Since then, several details, photos, and videos have been revealed as part of the allegations, which intensified the scandal.
Kim Soo-hyun denies underage relationship allegations, sues late Kim Sae-ron's family during press conference
On March 31, 2025, during the press conference, Kim Soo-hyun firmly denied claims that he had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was 15. He stressed that he never dated her from 2015 to 2022, but their relationship began in 2019 and ended in 2020.
He also revealed that he has filed a lawsuit against the late Kim Sae-ron's family and Garosero for defamation, seeking damages of 12 billion won (approximately $8.15 million).
Addressing the controversy surrounding alleged chat messages from 2016 and 2018, the actor asserted that these messages were not from him but from someone else to Kim Sae-ron.
To substantiate this claim, he mentioned that his agency had conducted an analysis of the chat records, revealing that the messages had been allegedly manipulated.
Meanwhile, PRADA, Homeplus, Eider, DINTO, China Cuckoo, and more terminated their brand deals with Kim Soo-hyun amidst controversy.
