Kim Sae-ron’s Side Responds to Idol Boyfriend Rumors: “Misleading Reports, She Was Just Friendly”
In a phone call with Hankyung on May 22, a representative of Kim Sae-ron family stated, “Kim Sae-ron was never a reckless person. She was always sincere in her relationships and had an easygoing personality with many ‘male friends.’ During her relationship with Kim Soo-hyun, her feelings for him were so deep that she had no room to meet others.”
They added, “The family is deeply distressed by distorted reports and the reckless spread of information by YouTubers. Regardless of the truth of these claims, the excessive digging into her private life is causing great pain to the family.”
Previously, according to MoneyToday’s May 21 report, Kim Sae-ron dated a well-known older idol, “Mr. A,” from around 2018, briefly broke up in 2019, and reunited in 2022 during her DUI struggles, with Mr. A lending her money. They split again in early 2023 but stayed in touch. The info aims to clarify dating rumors with Kim Soo-hyun, not reveal Mr. A’s identity.
On March 27, the family’s legal representative, attorney Boo Ji-seok of BooYou Law Firm, stated at a press conference that their intent was to sue YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, not Kim Soo-hyun. The family representative emphasized, “From the start, the family saw the core issue as addressing cyber wreckers, not Kim Soo-hyun. Cyber wrecker YouTubers, like those posting videos titled ‘Why did Kim Sae-ron borrow money from her ex-idol boyfriend?’ are continuously defaming her memory.”
Meanwhile, Kim Sae-ron’s family claimed through YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute that she dated Kim Soo-hyun for six years starting in 2015, when she was 15. As disputes over the timeline of her relationship with Kim Soo-hyun continued, reports emerged alleging she also dated a solo singer and a former national athlete. On May 21, a report claimed that during her financial struggles following a drunk driving incident, Kim Sae-ron was in a relationship with an idol group member and borrowed a large sum of money.
Kim Soo-hyun, at a press conference last month, acknowledged a relationship with Kim Sae-ron but denied it occurred when she was a minor. He filed a defamation lawsuit against the family and Garo Sero Institute’s CEO Kim Se-ui for spreading false information. On May 7, the family held a press conference, announcing they had sued Kim Soo-hyun for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse, presenting an audio file allegedly of Kim Sae-ron’s conversation with a friend, recreated with a voice actor, claiming, “(Kim Soo-hyun and I) dated from middle school until I went to college and then broke up.”
