On March 13, A uploaded a new video on his YouTube channel, where he stated, “The claims are extremely malicious and one-sided. They are completely false.“
He clarified, “I have never been in contact with Kim Soo-hyun, his agency, or any related parties. The manager I contacted when covering Kim Sae-ron was not affiliated with Gold Medalist (Kim Soo-hyun’s agency).” Kim Sae-ron was formerly signed under Kim Soo-hyun’s agency.
Kim Sae-ron’s bereaved family has announced legal action against A, stating that his videos caused the late actress great distress.
While denying accusations that he maliciously spread rumors about Kim Sae-ron, A also expressed a desire to apologize to her family.
He said, “I have uploaded only four videos related to Kim Sae-ron in the past three years. After hearing the news of her passing, I made those videos private. Now, people are leaving comments saying, ‘If you’re innocent, make the videos public again.’ I’m struggling to decide whether I should re-upload them and let the public judge for themselves or if doing so would cause more pain to her bereaved family.”
A also announced that he is considering legal action against the YouTube channel “Garosero Research Institute”, which has raised multiple allegations against him regarding Kim Sae-ron’s death.
Netizens showed mixed reactions such as “Conduct a proper and honest investigation on Kim Soo-hyun. What exactly did he do to a girl young enough to be his daughter?“, “Just how bad was it that the bereaved family had to go to Garosero Institute? They said there was nowhere else that would take them. You played a part in that” and “Did you delete videos related to Sae-ron? Reupload them, and then I’ll believe you.”
Meanwhile, a petition targeting A has been posted on the National Assembly’s electronic petition site, titled “A Request for Strong Legislative Measures to Prevent Celebrities’ Suicides Caused by YouTube Channels Run by Entertainment Journalists”. The petition is nearing 50,000 signatures.
The petitioner wrote, “The social issue of entertainment journalists using YouTube to harass celebrities to a near-stalking level is not new. Recently, another young actress has tragically ended her life due to such actions.“
Kim Sae-ron passed away on February 16. The controversy has escalated further after “Garosero Research Institute” alleged that actor Kim Soo-hyun was in a relationship with her since she was a minor and that A had made malicious remarks about her while she was alive.
Sources: Kbizoom