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On March 27, 2025, Sports Chosun reported that several chat screenshots between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron were exposed, allegedly asserting their relationship when the actress was a minor. The disclosure was made during a press conference by Bu Ji-seok, legal representative of the late actress's bereaved family.
On March 27, 2025, in Seocho-gu, Seoul, attorney Bu Ji-seok spoke to reporters regarding text messages exchanged between Kim Soo-hyun and the late actress. The texts are from June 2016. Bu Ji-seok claimed that these text messages were evidence of the dating allegations.
One of the texts from the 29-year-old Kim Soo-hyun to the 17-year-old late actress is:
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know, even if you kissed me. When can I hold you and fall asleep? I think I’d be able to sleep really well then.”
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The disclosed messages reportedly contain intimate exchanges, with Kim Soo-hyun allegedly requesting physical affection from Kim Sae-ron. These communications intensified public scrutiny.
Kim Soo-hyun and his agency had previously stated that he dated Kim Sae-ron when she became an adult in 2019.
Bu Ji-seok questioned the statement during the recent press conference and said:
“If this was not a romantic relationship, then what kind of relationship was it? I want to ask Kim Soo-hyun directly.”
Background of Kim Soo-hyun facing allegations of underage relationship with late Kim Sae-ron
The controversy began on March 10, 2025, when the Bloodhounds actress's aunt gave an interview to Garosero media YouTube channel, claiming Kim Soo-hyun dated the actress. The aunt claimed that Sae-ron was 15 years old and Kim Soo-hyun was 27 when they started dating in 2016. The relationship lasted until 2022.
Garosero then interviewed the late actress's parents and confirmed the allegations. Following this, the channel acquired new photos and text screenshots from the bereaved's family.
These pictures showed Kim Soo-hyun at Kim Sae-ron's house, washing dishes at her home, caressing the actress's back in a video clip, and more.
The text message screenshots also showed how the late actress allegedly begged Kim Soo-hyun to allow her some time to repay 700 million KRW (around $477,654).
In May 2022, Kim Sae-ron faced DUI charges after she collided with a transformer, resulting in a power outage in over 57 nearby commercial establishments. The court ordered her to pay 700 million KRW in damages to those businesses and shops.
She was also fined 20 million KRW separately by the court. As a result, she lost her career and livelihood due to massive public backlash.
Her former agency, Gold Medalist, paid the damages on her behalf. It is the same agency that was founded by Kim Soo-hyun in 2019. The late actress's KakaoTalk message to Soo-hyun reveals that Gold Medalist sent her a legal notice to repay 700 million KRW by December 31, 2024.
On March 12, 2025, Dispatch questioned Gold Medalist on its intention of collecting the money from the late actress, who was already under severe financial and emotional duress due to unemployment.
The agency stated that they never intended to collect the money from her and had written off the amount as "bad debt."
However, the agency admitted that they never informed Kim Sae-ron that the notice was a mere formality and they never expected her to pay back the money. Gold Medalist said:
"We had no intentions of receiving money from Kim Sae Ron. We thought we wouldn’t get it. We only followed basic procedures because there could have been a case of malpractice brought up. From what we know, her manager got in contact with her at that time. We needed the documents for it."
Meanwhile, several brands, including PRADA and cosmetics company Dinto, Homeplus, Eider, Cuckoo, and more, terminated their collaborations with the actor.
The Queen of Tears actor's Taiwan fan event scheduled for March 30, 2025, was called off as well. Furthermore, Disney+ reportedly shelved its upcoming series, Knock Off, starring Kim Soo-hyun and Jo Bo-ah, amidst an ongoing scandal.
