Kim Soo-hyun Denies Allegations as Garo Sero Institute Unveils Another Video of “18-Year-Old Late Kim Sae-ron with Soju”
On March 31, following Kim Soo-hyun’s tearful press conference, Kim Sae-ron’s family and Garo Sero Institute released new materials they claim to be evidence of their past relationship.
The press conference took place at Stanford Korea Hotel in Mapo, Seoul. Kim Soo-hyun was accompanied by his agency Gold Medalist’s legal representative, lawyer Kim Jong-bok from LKB & Partners. He firmly denied all allegations.
Kim Soo-hyun also announced that he would file criminal charges and a civil lawsuit worth 12 billion won (approximately $9 million) against Kim Sae-ron’s family and Garo Sero Institute. He claimed that their evidence was fabricated.
Meanwhile, Garosero Research Institute, which has been representing the bereaved family’s stance, attempted to live-stream the press conference. However, they were reportedly removed from the venue. They later announced plans to release another video that evening, allegedly revealing Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron’s private moments.
Later that afternoon, Garo Sero Institute responded with further claims, stating, “We have secured five of Kim Sae-ron’s mobile phones and four laptops. She anticipated this and captured everything, including crucial conversations from KakaoTalk.” They added that forensic analysis could reveal further details, including file types, sizes, locations, and timestamps.
During their broadcast, Garo Sero Institute released a video allegedly from 2018, when Kim Soo-hyun was serving in the military. The footage shows a man believed to be Kim Soo-hyun talking to a young woman, reportedly Kim Sae-ron. In the video, the woman cooks a meal and asks, “Eat quickly, is it good?” to which the man replies, “Yes, for now.” A notification sound is heard, and the woman comments, “Unbelievable.” The video ends with Kim Soo-hyun saying, “This is what we call Dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken).” Given that Kim Sae-ron was born in 2000, she would have been 18 years old at the time.
With both sides continuing to release conflicting statements and evidence, the legal battle and public controversy show no signs of settling soon.