YouTuber Lee Jin-ho banned from broadcasting about Kim Sae-ron for 3 months as court sides with late actress’ family in defamation lawsuit

On March 31, 2025, South Korean media outlet No Cut News reported that the court ruled in favor of Kim Sae-ron’s family, issuing an injunction against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. He is now banned from broadcasting about the late actress for three months.

"Today (the 31st), Lee Jin-ho's stalking crime was acknowledged and the court issued an interim measure. Accordingly, Lee Jin-ho will not be able to broadcast anything on YouTube related to the late Kim Sae-ron and the bereaved family for three months," the head of the Suicide Prevention Association, Kwon Young-chan, told No Cut News.

Kim Sae-ron’s family had previously sued Lee for defamation on March 17, 2025, accusing him of spreading false information. The family claimed Lee’s false narratives contributed to the actress' death.

They also accused him of hiding evidence by making his videos private after her passing. Prior to filing a defamation lawsuit against the YouTuber, the same day, the family representative, lawyer Bu Ji-seok, held a press conference. There, the attorney said that more legal action will follow.

Despite this, Lee continued posting unverified claims about the late 24-year-old and her family. On March 27, 2025, the family filed another lawsuit. They cited the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes and requested the injunction.

At a press conference held on the same day, Mr. Bu stated that Kim Sae-ron faced severe emotional distress due to Lee’s videos.

"The defamation charge is just a legal term. We believe Lee's actions are closer to murder. We hope the seriousness of his conduct is fully reflected in sentencing and that he faces strict punishment," Bu added (reported by Korea Times).

Meanwhile, in a comment under his YouTube video, Clearing Kim Sae Ron’s Name… Why Isn’t Kim Soo-hyun Being Sued?, Lee denied any legal wrongdoing. According to KBIzoom, the YouTuber stated that he has not been summoned or investigated for defamation or stalking allegations.

He disputed claims that Kim Sae-ron passed away the same day he uploaded a video in January, calling the timeline fabricated. Lee criticized the ban as an attempt to silence him and said he is considering an appeal.

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Lee Jin-ho's unverified statements about Kim Sae-ron amid defamation lawsuit

On March 19, 2025, Lee Jin-ho released a video, claiming Kim Sae-ron secretly married a man in New York and terminated a pregnancy. He pointed to her January 8, 2025, Instagram post captioned “Marry” as evidence. Lee also shared an audio recording to support his claims. Kim Sae-ron’s side denied the rumors, stating:

"These are snapshots taken with a friend. The marriage rumors are not true," (as per Sports Donga).

Lee Jin-ho, however, insisted that fact-checking confirmed her marriage. As proof, he released a recording of a woman he claimed was Kim Sae-ron. In the call, the woman and the manager, referred to as A, allegedly discussed the marriage.

The YouTuber also said that Kim Sae-ron’s family is raising concerns about her past relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun from four years ago. However, he claimed Kim Sae-ron was allegedly living a newlywed life with someone else.

He added that the bereaved family was sharing data from the deceased person’s phone with the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute to continue exposing information. According to him, this showed they were aware of Kim Sae-ron’s alleged marriage.

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Following Kim Sae-ron's death, the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute alleged that she had dated Kim Soo-hyun for six years. It reportedly started in 2015 when she was 15.