The controversy surrounding the late Kim Sae-ron has taken a new turn after YouTuber Lee Jin-ho released footage he claims shows the actress kissing another man in 2019, during a period she allegedly dated Kim Soo-hyun. But rather than offering clarity, the video has only deepened public skepticism.
In a video uploaded on April 9, Lee presented two grainy clips allegedly filmed near Nonhyeon Station in Seoul, showing a woman walking hand-in-hand with a man and, in another shot, appearing to kiss him while sitting on stairs. Lee claimed the footage dates back to May 2019, citing metadata as proof.
“Was her build really that big?” became a repeated comment across online platforms, with many noting that the woman in the video has a noticeably larger frame than Kim Sae-ron, who was famously slender during that period.
One viewer wrote, “If you look at photos of Kim Sae-ron in 2019, her ankles look like they could snap, they’re that thin.” Another added, “Even if she’s wearing oversized clothes, the body type just doesn’t match.”
Critics also blasted the low quality of the footage, arguing that the woman’s face cannot be clearly identified. “With video quality this bad, they could say the man is Kim Soo-hyun and we’d have to believe it,” said one skeptical netizen.
While Lee Jin-ho insists his intent was to protect innocent parties from false accusations, many saw the release as an unnecessary invasion of privacy, especially given that Kim Sae-ron is no longer alive to respond. “So this is how her private life gets dragged out after her death,” one comment lamented.
Others turned their frustration toward Lee and even speculated ulterior motives: “Feels like Kim Soo-hyun is behind this,” one user claimed. Another wrote, “Stop diverting attention. The core issue is whether there was a relationship while she was a minor, not her private life.”
Lee defended Kim Soo-hyun by stating that both he and Kim Sae-ron had separate partners in 2019. He emphasized that Kim Soo-hyun’s relationship with Sae-ron was limited to a family home visit and a shared meal during his military leave.
Still, the fallout continues. Kim Sae-ron’s family had already filed a defamation lawsuit against Lee on March 17 under the Information and Communications Network Act. Just ten days later, they followed up with a second legal action, accusing him of violating the Anti-Stalking Law by publicly revealing intimate details of the late actress’s private life.
As outrage grows, the public remains divided, some demanding accountability, others decrying the relentless scrutiny of a young woman who can no longer speak for herself.