Shocking Development in Kim Soo Hyun’s Alleged Underage Dating Scandal: Court Issues Emergency Arrest Warrant
New twists in the romance drama involving Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron have sparked widespread public outrage.
For the past week, allegations that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when the actress was still a minor have resurfaced, once again dominating headlines and social media after a period of silence. In the latest development, the court has officially issued a pre-trial detention warrant for an individual closely linked to Kim Soo Hyun’s ongoing controversy.
According to an exclusive report by Sports Chosun on the evening of May 26, authorities conducted a pre-arrest questioning session for Kim Se Ui before officially reviewing his arrest warrant. Kim Se Ui is the head of the notorious YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute and a figure who has been locked in a fierce legal battle against Kim Soo Hyun for the past two years.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Following the interrogation, the court officially issued a detention warrant for Kim Se Ui on a barrage of charges. These include violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (such as illegally distributing camera-recorded footage), defamation of Kim Soo Hyun, intimidation, and attempted extortion. The presiding judge overseeing Kim Se Ui’s case stated:
“There is a significant risk that the suspect could destroy evidence and flee.”
During his public appearance on the morning of May 26 prior to the interrogation, Kim Se Ui fiercely denied all allegations directed at him, boldly declaring:
“The National Forensic Service explicitly stated that they cannot determine whether the audio files containing Kim Sae Ron’s voice were manipulated or fabricated by AI. Therefore, I cannot accept why they only trust the analysis results from a private firm commissioned by Kim Soo Hyun’s legal team.”
Earlier, on the morning of May 21, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station requested an arrest warrant for Kim Se Ui, and the prosecution subsequently requested the court to issue a detention warrant for the YouTuber.
According to the police warrant request, Kim Se Ui is accused of spreading false information regarding Kim Soo Hyun through his YouTube broadcasts. This includes claims that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron during her underage years and that Kim Sae Ron passed away due to relentless debt collection pressures from Kim Soo Hyun’s side.
Furthermore, Kim Se Ui is accused of defaming Kim Soo Hyun by using AI to fabricate audio recordings of Kim Sae Ron’s voice. These audio files contained highly damaging and allegedly fabricated information, such as: “Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun had their first physical relationship during the winter break of the actress’s sophomore year in high school,” and “Kim Soo Hyun agreed to pay 4 billion won ($3.1 million USD) to buy back the file from an informant.” Lastly, Kim Se Ui was accused of doctoring screenshots of text messages between Kim Sae Ron and an “unknown account” to look like a direct conversation between Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun.
Additionally, the fact that Kim Sae Ron’s father refused to hand over the mobile phone the late actress last used before her passing became one of the grounds for requesting Kim Se Ui’s arrest. According to the police, the father’s actions created a high probability that Kim Se Ui could destroy or manipulate key evidence.
In response to these allegations, Kim Se Ui’s legal team quickly launched a counterargument on the morning of May 21. Regarding the voice recording forgery accusation, his side emphasized that the National Forensic Service had stated it was “impossible to determine if the audio file was interfered with by AI,” yet the police concluded it was an AI fabrication. According to the YouTuber, this conclusion is highly contradictory and illogical.
As for the forged text message screenshots, Kim Se Ui claimed that Kim Sae Ron’s family had requested a forensic analysis, which allegedly confirmed the existence of KakaoTalk conversations between her and Kim Soo Hyun. He explained that because Kim Soo Hyun had changed his phone number, the account status was displayed as “unknown.” The Garo Sero Institute had previously emphasized in their broadcasts that the screenshots they released were not the originals, but rather graphic reconstructions. Finally, Kim Se Ui asserted that the father’s refusal to submit the phone could not legally justify his arrest.
The Origins of the Scandal
The controversy initially erupted when an individual claiming to be Kim Sae Ron’s aunt suddenly appeared on the Garo Sero Institute YouTube channel, alleging that the actress used to date Kim Soo Hyun. This person claimed that the romantic relationship lasted from November 2015 to July 2021, and even accused Kim Soo Hyun of psychologically manipulating Kim Sae Ron while she was a minor.
The alleged aunt and the Garo Sero Institute further claimed that the late actress’s family possesses thousands of intimate photos proving that Kim Soo Hyun maintained an inappropriate relationship with Kim Sae Ron during her underage years.
In response, attorney Go Sang Rok issued an urgent statement on behalf of Kim Soo Hyun, firmly denying the claims that the top star possessed thousands of intimate photos with Kim Sae Ron. The legal team emphasized that the actor only dated her after she had reached adulthood. Since then, the Queen of Tears star has been aggressively presenting evidence through his legal representative to prove his innocence against the underage dating allegations.
Going a step further, the A-list actor filed a lawsuit against Kim Sae Ron’s family and the Garo Sero Institute for defamation. Up to this point, recent developments in the case have consistently turned in Kim Soo Hyun’s favor. Kim Se Ui has now been formally detained, and if he is convicted of defaming Kim Soo Hyun in the upcoming trial, the actor will be officially vindicated.
