Actor Kim Soo Hyun's side says, ”The contents of the statement of the late Kim Sae-ron are false”... Secondary victimization continues even after the truth is revealed

Attorney Ko Sang-rok of the law firm Phil, acting as Kim Soo-hyun's legal representative, stated in a position paper posted on his blog on the 4th: "The photograph of the deceased and the actor meeting face-to-face, which the deceased posted on social media during the broadcast period of the drama 'The Queen of Tears' but promptly deleted, was in fact taken in February 2020 (when the deceased was in their second year of university)."

Attorney Ko explained, "The actor's (Kim Soo-hyun) iPad contained not only the problematic photograph but also adjacent images. Through this series of photographs, the shooting dates were confirmed to be within a few days of each other. Consequently, the problematic photograph was identified as having been taken between 18th and 23rd February 2020. This iPad itself was submitted intact to the investigative authorities, enabling us to substantiate this fact."

Regarding the draft statement, he stated, "The origin of this incident was a false draft statement found in KakaoTalk conversations the deceased sent to a friend on 25th March 2024." He added, "It contained a very serious and obvious falsehood, claiming that the photo was 'taken when the deceased was in 2016 (first year of high school).' Furthermore, this photograph was cited as the sole basis for the false claim that 'the deceased had been in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun from her third year of middle school until her third year of university'."

Attorney Ko cited the contents of conversations Ms Kim Sae-ron had with acquaintances and associates as evidence, speculating that "it appears the deceased initially had no intention of releasing the false draft statement externally, which appears to have been prepared with someone's assistance at the time." He continued, "Had the false statement been released as it stood at that time, it would have immediately become clear that the claim the photograph was taken in 2016 was false. There would have been no reason for the deceased, who could not have been unaware of this, to force the release of the false statement." He wrote, "Nevertheless, this false statement, which could not be released at the time, was prepared for some reason, and it became the catalyst for this incident a year later."

Alongside this, Attorney Ko stated, "Regarding the circumstances under which the false position statement was prepared by the deceased's side at the time, I have confirmed and reviewed a reasonable explanation since joining the defence team, and verified that the existing defence team had already requested an accurate investigation from the police." He emphasised, "This could hold significant legal meaning for proving the perpetrator's intent and awareness at the time of the initial dissemination of false facts on 10 March." He further conveyed the position that "Kaseyong (Karosero Research Institute) using the false statement in its broadcast without verification is absolutely unjustifiable from a position that bears a duty to verify facts."

Previously, Kim Soo-hyun had been embroiled in allegations since March concerning a relationship with the late Kim Se-ron during her minor years. Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference in response, expressing regret and stating, "I did not have a relationship with the deceased during her minor years." Furthermore, Kim Soo-hyun claimed the evidence presented by the bereaved family was "pieced together", and regarding the recording disclosed by the bereaved family at their press conference, he countered that it was "fabricated content created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology". Subsequently, as various rumours and noise surrounding him persisted, Kim Soo-hyun initiated a damages lawsuit seeking approximately 12 billion won against the bereaved family and the YouTuber who made the revelations.

Attorney Ko stated, "Despite the fact that the actor (Kim Soo-hyun) never dated the deceased while underage being clearly established, malicious comments continue to be posted. He stated, "Once the fact that they did not date for even a single day during his minor years became clear, some are now continuing outrageous secondary victimisation, claiming things like 'there's a time for explanations, Kim Soo-hyun is finished already'," adding, "Do not pour cold water on the victim's efforts to reveal the truth."