Recently, Garo Sero Institute released an interview with the alleged aunt of Kim Sae-ron, which accused Kim Soo-hyun of dating the late actress for 6 years, since she was a minor. Additionally, it was also said that he cut contact with Kim Sae-ron after his company suddenly sent Kim Sae-ron a debut notice of 700 million won (approx 480,000 USD) after paying it for her.
As a result, old comments and misdeeds of Kim Soo-hyun are resurfacing, and various topics related to the actor can be found on SNS platforms and online forums. The actor’s name is currently trending not only on Korean portal sites, but also on international SNS platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and China’s most popular social media Weibo.
In Korea, reactions were mixed, with the majority of netizens saying that it’s important to wait and see which party were truthful. So far, there have been comments such as “The content of the claims are so shocking that we should wait, and it’s not too late to criticize later”, “I hope they respond strongly so that the truth is clearly revealed”, “It’s frustrating to see people criticize like a group that looks for a single cause every time something comes out”, “We should just wait and not take anyone’s side until it is certain”, “I hope it is definitely false”, and so on.
Meanwhile, Chinese social media platforms were flooded with discussions and people expressing shock regardless of the rumors’ validity. Reactions included: “Kim Soo-hyun’s reputation is crumbling,” “The illusion is shattered,” and “I don’t know who to believe anymore.” While many posts criticized Kim Soo Hyun, others questioned the credibility of the allegations.
However, reactions from English-speaking netizens have been extremely scathing, especially regarding the dating issue, as internet users accused Kim Soo-hyun of basically “grooming” Kim Sae-ron. These netizens pointed out how Kim Soo-hyun said he’d like to date a 21-year-old woman when he’s 41, and focused on how he allegedly started dating Kim Sae-ron when she was in middle school, leaving comments such as “This is creepy”, “May Kim Soo-hyun downfall come faster than he ever expects”, and “People defending Kim Soo-hyun, you all have a special place in hell”.
Meanwhile, Gold Medalist, the agency representing Kim Soo-hyun and formerly Kim Sae-ron, released a statement refuting Garo Sero’s claims, stating that all of the allegations are “outright false and unacceptable.” The agency also announced legal actions, but Garo Sero has fired back at the threats, even hinting that a criminal complaint related to “a minor” could be filed against Kim Soo-hyun.
