Kim Sae Ron's family demands apology from Kim Soo Hyun, sues YouTuber for defamation
The family of Kim Sae Ron has filed a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Lee Jin Ho and is now looking at potential legal actions against Kim Soo Hyun, who dated the late actress.
At a press conference on March 17, Sae Ron's camp alleged the actress suffered "severe emotional anguish" due to videos uploaded by Lee Jin Ho and wished to file murder charges against him.
"However, as defamation does not fall under the methods of murder according to legal precedents, we regretfully hope that the fact that the deceased’s death is causally linked to YouTuber Lee Jin Ho’s dissemination of false information will be fully reflected in the sentencing, leading to the strictest possible punishment,” their statement obtained by Soompi read.
The South Korean Criminal Act Article 250 Paragraph 1 states that “a person who commits murder shall be punished by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a term of at least five years.”
The family criticized Lee for how he framed his post containing photos of Sae Ron with Soo Hyun, alleging that he spread information that portrayed the actress in a negative light.
The YouTuber claimed he posted at least four videos on Sae Ron while she was alive, while Kwon Young Chan, the director of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association, said there were at least seven.
Sae Ron's family also claimed Lee has been deleting past videos following Kim Sae Ron's death in February.
"This is a clear act of evidence destruction, and we urge the authorities to conduct a search and seizure as well as an arrest investigation,” they stated.
Possible legal actions against Kim Soo Hyun
Sae Ron's family hoped that Soo Hyun would acknowledge his past romance with the actress and that he would offer an apology.
Soo Hyun’s agency denied dating rumors with Sae Ron twice, first in March 2024 and in March of this year. It was only on March 14 when he finally confirmed that they dated, clarifying that it did not happen when Sae Ron was just a minor.
They also claimed that when his agency sent the first certification of contents demanding repayment of debts, Sae Ron sent a text message to Kim Soo Hyun pleading for help, but Soo Hyun “did not respond even once.”
Instead through Gold Medalist, the actor sent a second certification of contents to her for “acts of embezzlement" and other issues, contrary to his agency’s recent statement.
The letter also instructed Sae Ron not to contact Soo Hyun or other actors from his agency directly, as well as a threat of legal action regarding the photo she uploaded, per the family.
The family said the actress posted past photos of their relationship hoping it would prompt a reply.
They are now reviewing potential legal actions against Kim Soo Hyun and his representatives.
Details about Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun’s past relationship were revealed by HoverLab, alleging that the actor had a romance with Sae Ron when she was a minor and that his agency pressured her to repay a 700 million won (around P27 million) penalty following her DUI incident in 2022. Gold Medalist denied the allegations.
Sae Ron passed away at age 24 by suicide.
