Actor Kim Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, has released a detailed official statement addressing the swirling allegations regarding his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron.
The statement, prompted by reports from YouTube channel HOVERLAB, refutes claims that Kim Soo Hyun was involved with the late actress while she was a minor and that he played a role in her tragic demise on his birthday in February 2025.
Gold Medalist issued the statement, noting that it was to address key points of this recent allegations and admitted that it ‘may not be entirely satisfactory’, as they had originally planned to release the statement on a later date. As reported by allkpop.om, the agency confirmed that Soo Hyun and Sae Ron were in a relationship, but stated that the romance began in the summer of 2019 and lasted a year, until the autumn 2020, after she had reached the legal age of adulthood. The agency categorically denied allegations that the actor had been romantically involved with her, while she was a minor.
The statement read, “Kim Soo Hyun began dating Kim Sae Ron in summer of 2019, after she became of legal age, and their relationship continued until autumn of 2020. It is not true that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron while she was a minor. The photo revealed by Kim Sae Ron on March 24, 2024, and the photo revealed by HOVERLAB on March 11, 2025, were both taken on a day in winter of 2020, when the two were still dating. The clothing worn by Kim Sae Ron was an item released by a certain clothing brand in June of 2019. Therefore, HOVERLAB’s claim that the photo was taken in 2016, when Kim Sae Ron was a minor, cannot be true.”
The agency noted that metadata from one image confirmed it was taken on December 24, 2019. Additionally, a clothing item worn by Kim Sae Ron in the photos was only released in June 2019, further debunking the claim that they were taken earlier. “All of the photos revealed by HOVERLAB were taken after Kim Sae Ron became an adult. Despite HOVERLAB’s claims that there are multiple photos of the two taken in 2016, when Kim Sae Ron was a minor, such photos do not exist because they were not dating in 2016.”
Gold Medalist also addressed the letter Kim Soo Hyun allegedly wrote to Kim Sae Ron during his mandatory military service, clarifying that it was a personal letter to a close acquaintance rather than a romantic note. The statement read, “The letter that Kim Soo Hyun addressed to Kim Sae Ron during his mandatory service was a private letter sent to a close acquaintance. As the letter has shown, Kim Soo Hyun was adjusting to life in the military while sharing his day to day activities with his close acquaintance. However, in order to fabricate the story that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron since 2015, HOVERLAB falsely claimed that photos taken after Kim Sae Ron had become an adult were taken while she was still a minor. The YouTube channel also purposely revealed a postcard sent by Kim Soo Hyun while he was still dating Kim Sae Ron along with the letter he sent during his military service to make it seem as if the letter was also a love letter, when this was not the case. Furthermore, the nickname Saero Nero is a nickname that Kim Sae Ron has used publicly since 2016, not a nickname used only by Kim Soo Hyun.”
The statement expressed deep concern over the spread of misinformation and the violation of privacy that both Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron’s families have suffered. They also criticized HOVERLAB for allegedly ‘distorting facts’ while raising accusations against the actor. “Although a relationship between two adults is a matter of privacy, as a public figure, Kim Soo Hyun’s private life is bound to receive criticism from the masses, and this is a fact that must be accepted. However, HOVERLAB is currently spreading misinformation and lies indiscriminately. The individual who provided HOVERLAB with the information that formed the basis of the YouTube channel’s claims has stated that they are Kim Sae Ron’s relative. Yet, according to one media outlet, this individual is an acquaintance of Kim Sae Ron’s mother, not her relative. The YouTube channel is fabricating unconfirmed rumors based on information provided by an individual whose identity cannot be verified. Because of this outsider, the privacy of both Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron has been severely violated. The spread of these baseless rumors and speculations is detrimental not only to Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron, but also their families and loved ones.”
Kim Soo Hyun acknowledged that, as a public figure, his personal life may be subject to scrutiny. However, he and his agency argued that fabrications and unverified allegations should not be accepted as truth.
“Kim Soo Hyun is under no impression that he can go on avoiding the criticism and judgment of the public now that matters related to his private life have been publicized. However, a normal relationship between two adults has somehow become a sensationalized story at the hands of others with no direct involvement. Personal attacks based on unconfirmed stories of this degree are too much for a single person. Not to mention, these actions are severely defaming the deceased,” the statement read.
Among the many allegations, were HOVERLAB claiming that Kim Soo Hyun and his agency abandoned Kim Sae Ron in her financial hardships following her DUI incident, ultimately contributing to her passing. Gold Medalist denied this, stating that the company took active steps to support her. “After her DUI accident, Gold Medalist worked with Kim Sae Ron to resolve all fees and damages, including the damages incurred by the businesses who were affected by the accident.”
According to the statement, the total damages incurred due to Kim Sae Ron’s DUI case amounted to approximately 1.114 billion KRW ($765,000 USD). “Gold Medalist did all we could to reduce the amount that Kim Sae Ron had to pay off herself. Through the efforts of Gold Medalist and Kim Sae Ron, the damages were reduced to 700 billion KRW (~ $481,000 USD). The repair and sale of Kim Sae Ron’s vehicle was among the efforts to reduce the total amount in damages. This was done by Gold Medalist under Kim Sae Ron’s consent. Contrary to the claims by HOVERLAB, Gold Medalist did not steal Kim Sae Ron’s vehicle to pay off her debt.”
The statement further clarified that Kim Soo Hyun never personally lent Kim Sae Ron money nor did he attempt to retrieve any financial assistance from her. Gold Medalist maintained that all financial matters between the company and the late actress were handled professionally, with legal safeguards in place to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
Concluding the statement, the agency emphasized that the damaging effects of baseless rumours, sensationalized reports and misrepresenting facts, not only harms those involved but also disrespects the memory of the deceased. “Just because Kim Soo Hyun is a public figure, that does not mean that he must sit by idly while countless lies are fabricated about him, nor should he endure the flood of personal attacks against him without response. Kim Soo Hyun will acknowledge the responsibilities associated with the nonconsensual exposure of his private life, that which has already been publicized and that which may be publicized from now on. However, we would like to ask if it is truly the right of the public to go on gaining unchecked access to an individual’s privacy without that person’s consent as has been the case this past week.”