South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun turned emotional as he addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron.
“It seems that so many people are suffering because of me, and it breaks my heart that the deceased cannot rest in peace,” he lamented the issues, according to translations provided in Soompi’s report.
Kim Soo Hyun held a press conference on Monday, March 31 where he denied all allegations against him, including claims of dating Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, and vowed to take legal action against those spreading false accusations.
During the press conference, the actor apologized for the distress caused by the controversy but maintained that his relationship with Kim Sae Ron occurred five years ago and lasted for about a year.
“Five years ago—and four years before ‘Queen of Tears’ aired—the deceased and I dated for about a year. But at that time, I denied the dating rumors,” Kim Soo Hyun clarified the timeline of their relationship.
He went on to debunk claims made by Kim Sae Ron’s family, who had recently presented their alleged message exchanges as evidence.
“I did not date the deceased when she was a minor. We were just ordinary lovers who dated and later broke up. After that, we rarely contacted each other,” he added.
“Like most couples, we were cautious to contact each other separately after breaking up. We were both actors who were known to many people, and when she was in the same agency as me, I knew to some extent how she was doing, so it was even more so.”
Kim Soo Hyun further addressed the difficulties he faced in speaking out earlier, expressing fear over the impact his words could have on his career and those around him. He admitted that as a public figure, he often prioritized his image over personal matters but stressed that he could not remain silent any longer.
“Every time something about me and [Kim Sae-ron] was exposed, [I thought to myself] let’s reveal everything. I kept thinking about speaking directly and ending this hell-like situation,” he said.
He further clarified that he chose not to publicly acknowledge his year-long relationship with Kim Sae-ron during the airing of his hit K-drama series “Queen of Tears” to avoid any potential impact on the drama’s success and the people involved in its production.
“When ‘Queen of Tears’ was airing, 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 all everything staked on that project? What would happen to our agency’s employees?” he recalled his frustrations.
He also revealed that he had been receiving threats and blackmail attempts regarding the release of personal photos and conversations.
“I wouldn’t have had to receive threats every day about what photos they would upload tomorrow, what they would expose. And I wouldn’t have been humiliated by having photos of my private life leaked. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t accept being threatened and forced to admit that lies were the truth.”
To disprove the claims made against him, Kim Soo Hyun submitted KakaoTalk conversations and audio recordings that framed him as a “pedophile” and a “minor groomer” to a verification agency, which claimed that the alleged conversations were “manipulated”.
“I will accept any criticism for the choices I made. But that doesn’t mean that everything that is not true becomes true. Just as I have taken verification procedures for KakaoTalk, I will take procedures to thoroughly verify everything that the family is presenting as evidence through investigative agencies. If the evidence that the family has is really true, I request that they submit all the data to the investigative agency and be verified through legal procedures.”
Following the press conference, Kim Soo Hyun’s legal camp announced that the actor and his agency, GOLDMEDALIST, have initiated legal proceedings against the individuals responsible for the allegations. This includes members of Kim Sae Ron’s family and the operators of HoverLab Inc. for defamation under South Korea’s Information and Communications Network Act.
Kim Soo Hyun concluded his statement by expressing his commitment to clearing his name, “What I did, I did. I can take all the criticism for that. But I will not do what I did not do. For all the people who still believe in me, I want to reveal that much. I will not ask you to believe me. I will definitely prove it.”
