[REVISION HISTORY]

Legal dispute over Kim Soo-hyun defamation allegations

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What changed

2026-10-26 10:43 UTC → 2026-11-04 07:51 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Police forensic investigations have determined that KakaoTalk messages used to implicate South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun in an underage dating scandal with the late Kim Sae-ron were forged. Forensic analysis of electronic devices and cloud storage revealed that the intimate messages were actually sent by another entertainer, referred to as ‘Artist A’, rather than Kim Soo-hyun. Investigators noted that linguistic analysis showed the spelling and syntax did not match Kim Soo-hyun’s communication style, and call records indicated that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron only had three phone calls, all initiated by the latter. Following these findings, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Goldmedalist, announced it would take strict legal action against those spreading false rumors. The agency emphasized that authorities had already issued a non-indictment decision, finding no evidence of child welfare law violations. The legal response targets creators and redistributors of malicious content, including those using nicknames or slang to bypass filters. In a related development, Kim Se-ui, head of the Garo Sero Institute, has been indicted and detained on charges of defamation for disseminating false information through manipulated chat logs. Following this, police have referred several accomplices to the prosecution, including individuals who allegedly impersonated ~~the late~~ Kim Sae-ron’s mother and aunt. They face charges of defamation, attempted coercion, and the distribution of captured footage. Additionally, lawyer Boo Ji-seok and YouTuber Kwon Young-chan were referred to the prosecution for allegedly using manipulated materials, such as forged messages and AI-generated voice recordings, during press conferences. While several accomplices were referred, police decided not to refer Kim Sae-ron’s father to the prosecution. In a subsequent civil development, the Seoul Central District Court instructed Kim Soo-hyun to narrow the scope of a preliminary injunction he filed against Kim Se-ui.

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