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On April 1, 2025, Star News reported that actor Kim Soo-hyun refuted the authenticity of the KakaoTalk messages he allegedly exchanged with late actress Kim Sae-ron in the press conference held on March 31. But now the public is questioning the credibility of the company responsible for analyzing these messages.
Kim Soo-hyun is under fire due to his alleged dating scandal with the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. On March 31, the actor held a press conference at a hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, refuting all the allegations.
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Kim Sae-ron's family claimed that she and Kim Soo-hyun had dated since 2015, when she was just 15 and he was 27, citing many texts and letters as evidence. However, Kim Soo-hyun stated during his press conference that he began dating the actress in 2019 when she was an adult.
Kim Soo-hyun, in the press conference, addressed the accusation made by the bereaved family, accusing him of grooming minors. He clarified that he was not the person who exchanged KakaoTalk messages. To prove his alleged innocence, he submitted his own messages from 2016 and 2018 to a verification agency.
"They are framing me as a 'ped*phil*' and 'gr**ming minors' using the 2016 KakaoTalk remarks as evidence. The people who are talking to Kim Saeron on KakaoTalk in 2016 and KakaoTalk in 2018 are different people. To prove this fact, I submitted my 2016 and 2018 chats with my acquaintances to a verification agency that analyzes chats scientifically," the actor said as translated by the X account Kpop Charts."
He further claimed that the agency conducted a scientific analysis of the messages and concluded that the actor was not the person who exchanged them. Even though the Queen of Tears actor presented the scientific evidence, the general public remains unconvinced.
Kim Soo-hyun presented the verification agency Truebaum as having scientifically analyzed the KakaoTalk messages, but its credibility is being scrutinized.
Trubaum is a statement analysis center led by CEO Kim Mi-young, who previously worked at the Scientific Investigation Bureau of the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office. Kim Mi-kyung faced criticism after she analyzed messages from Jo Joo-bin, a member of the infamous Nth Room, on SBS's I Want to Know That, and inaccurately profiled him as an intelligent person in his mid-40s.
For the unversed, Nth room refers to a criminal incident in South Korea between 2018 and 2020 involving blackmail, trafficking, and distribution of s*xually exploitative videos via Telegram.
Profiler Bae Sung-hoon questioned the credibility of the Kakao analysis report presented by Kim Soo-hyun during his press conference
Profiler Bae Sung-hoon has also raised his doubts over the credibility of the KakaoTalk messages analyzed by Truebaum, calling them sloppy. He posted a video titled Analysis of Kim Soo-hyun's KakaoTalk by statement analysts and the ridicule of Gaseyeon on his channel, as reported by OSEN.
In the video, Bae Sang-hoon expressed his disappointment, saying that he initially expected an honest disclosure in the press conference. He stated that he felt let-down and noted that the actor's statement did not seem entirely truthful.
He further stated that Soo-hyun seems to prioritize his responsibility as a star over feeling remorse for the deceased. Bae Sang-hoon added that now that the actor's image is damaged, he claims he had to protect those around him, which is why he did what he felt was necessary.
"Kim Soo-hyun emphasized his status as a 'star' and spoke about protecting those around him, but ultimately, it’s just self-justification," the profiler said as translated by media outlet Koreaboo.
In particular, Bae Sang-hoon questioned the credibility of the KakaoTalk analysis presented by the actor's team. He pointed out that the analysis was conducted by four statement analysts, including Kim Mi-young, who previously drew criticism for her incorrect profiling.
He also termed the analysis as sloppy, stating that it was performed by a private agency rather than a reputable institution like the National Forensic Service. Bae Sang-hoon even said that an opposing analysis could also be valid.
"I've repeatedly pointed out how incompetent and sloppy so-called ‘experts’ appearing on shows like 'Unanswered Questions' can be," Bae Sang-hoon said.
He also noted that analyzing the messages involves numerous variables, which can make interpretation quite challenging. Bae Sang-hoon questioned the claim that 92% of the content was incorrect and only eight percent correct, as this can be misleading. He even expressed his skepticism about the validity of the private statement analysis center's method.
Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun has filed a 12 billion won damages lawsuit against Garosero Research Institute and the bereaved family of Kim Sae-ron.
