Shocking results in the Kim Soo Hyun case.

TPO - Kim Soo Hyun's career and reputation were ruined by accusations of a romantic relationship with his junior, Kim Sae Ron. Recently, the police released their official conclusion.

Báo Tiền Phong•23/05/2026

On May 21, the Joong Ang Daily reported that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office had requested an arrest warrant for YouTuber Kim Se Ui, the head of the Garo Sero Institute YouTube channel, on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Offences (disseminating images and videos recorded by cameras...) and defamation.

Kim Se Ui is accused of spreading false rumors that damaged the reputation of actor Kim Soo Hyun for economic motives, including profiting from YouTube. At the same time, South Korean police have also concluded that the star of "Queen of Tears" had a romantic relationship with actress Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor.

Was Kim Soo Hyun wrongly accused, and was the evidence fabricated?

According to the Gangnam (Seoul) police, Kim Se Ui made false accusations through her broadcast. The arrest warrant stated: "The suspect knew that actor Kim Soo Hyun did not date the deceased when she was a minor, but still disseminated false information to defame him."

Police are requesting an arrest warrant for Kim Se Ui for fabricating evidence and slandering Kim Soo Hyun.

Furthermore, the KakaoTalk messages that Kim Se Ui released last March as proof of their dating have been determined to be fabricated. "After receiving 11 screenshots from the family, Kim Se Ui edited a total of 7 sections, including changing the name of the person she was talking to to 'Kim Soo Hyun'."

Therefore, the police concluded: "The suspect posted forged documents to make the public believe that this was a genuine conversation between the two, even though the other person's identity had not been confirmed." The audio recording of Kim Sae Ron's voice, released by Kim Se Ui's side, was also fabricated evidence created using artificial intelligence (AI). In other words, one of the "key pieces of evidence" previously used to attack Kim Soo Hyun has now been concluded by investigators to be a product of technological manipulation.

The family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron was also summoned for questioning on suspicion of providing Kim Se Ui with fabricated evidence, assisting the YouTuber in spreading false information to discredit Kim Soo Hyun. According to the police, Kim Sae Ron's father refused to hand over the mobile phone the actress last used before her death. This became one of the grounds for requesting Kim Se Ui's arrest.

The police stated: "The suspect committed the crime in an organized and planned manner, not only providing documents to Kim Se Ui but also contributing to the amplification and reproduction of false information."

Therefore, according to the police's conclusion: Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron did not have a romantic relationship, and the actor is not responsible for her death.

In response to the police's allegations, Kim Se Ui's side stated that the National Forensic Service of Korea had previously declared, "It is impossible to determine whether the audio file was tampered with by AI," but now the police have concluded that the file was created by AI.

Kim Se Ui's side admitted to copying and editing the photos of the conversation between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron, but claimed it was solely for the purpose of the broadcast.

Public reaction

Kim Soo Hyun's exoneration from the police regarding the scandal with Kim Sae Ron has delighted his fans. Kim Soo Hyun had been driven to the brink of ruin, losing his career because of this scandal. He even faced demands for compensation from business partners and was forced to tighten his belt and sell real estate to cover his living expenses.

However, even after the police requested an arrest warrant for Kim Se Ui, some people still didn't believe the police's conclusion, arguing that they were being vague and making speculative conclusions to help Kim Soo Hyun clear his name and restore his reputation.

"Of the conclusions the police reached in the arrest warrant, only the statement 'Kim Sae Ron's father did not hand over the phone' is true; the other conclusions lack concrete evidence. Kim Sae Ron is dead, how could she possibly stand up and argue against it?", "In Korea, there's even 'defamation based on facts.' They only requested an arrest because Kim Se Ui is likely to continue spreading malicious intent. If Kim Soo Hyun were innocent, he would be holding a press conference today.", "What about the letter he sent while in the military? Isn't that real?", "The police and prosecutors are essentially acting based on the arguments of the accuser. Some conclusions are unverifiable because the person directly involved is gone, yet they conclude as if it were the truth, which is ridiculous," viewers commented, suggesting the police rushed to conclusions about the relationship between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron.

The South Korean public still doesn't believe Kim Soo Hyun is innocent, arguing that the police's conclusions are biased in the actor's favor.

However, Kim Soo Hyun's supporters argued, "Just one forged document is enough to prove someone intentionally manipulated the situation," "Before the verdict, people were constantly criticizing Kim Soo Hyun? Now that the police have released the investigation results, people don't believe it and are demanding a verdict," "Because the family refused to hand over the phone and gave false testimony, they are accused of forging evidence. If they had submitted it, the matter would have been easily resolved," "The press has already reported that the police requested an arrest warrant, so why don't people believe it?"