After Kim Soo Hyun denied allegations of an underage relationship with Kim Sae Ron, his legal team has now refuted five intimate photos of the former couple released by the Garosero Research Institute, which claimed to prove the actor 'groomed' the late actress.On Wednesday, Kim Soo Hyun's legal representatives, LKB Partners, issued a statement addressing the leaked private photos. They provided a revised timeline, arguing that the couple only began dating after Kim Sae Ron reached the legal age of consent.?
For the unversed, Kim Sae Ron¡¯s family, through Garosero, alleged that the two began dating when Kim Sae Ron was just 15, while Kim Soo Hyun was 27. However, Kim Soo Hyun¡¯s agency, Gold Medalist, has disputed this claim, stating that their relationship started after Kim Sae Ron reached adulthood, from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020.
In 2024, during the airing of Queen of Tears, Kim Sae Ron shared a private photo of herself with Kim Soo Hyun, sparking rumours of a romantic relationship between the two. However, letters found after her death revealed that she posted the picture in an attempt to capture Kim Soo Hyun's attention after his agency sent her a legal notice regarding debt repayment. Following this, Garosero released another, more intimate photo, showing Kim Soo Hyun kissing her cheek, reportedly taken on the same day.
Garosero claimed the pictures were taken in 2015 when Kim Sae Ron was 16 and in 9th grade, calling the act "disgusting". However, Kim Soo Hyun's team disputed this claim, stating that the photo was taken after 2019, when both Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun were adults.
Garosero left the internet in disguts after they posted a semi-naked picture of Kim Soo Hyun, who was seen washing the dishes in Kim Sae Ron's kitchen. However, they did not share a timeline for the picture.
Kim Soo Hyun's team's fact-check states that Kim Sae Ron moved into an apartment in Seoul's Haengdang neighbourhood in January 2020. They claim that the intimate photo was taken at this apartment and are unrelated to allegations of a romantic relationship with a minor, as Kim Sae Ron was already an adult by then.
Garosero Institute claimed that Kim Soo Hyun frequently visited Kim Sae Ron's house when she was a minor, despite her family's resentment. Soon after, Chinese netizens on Weibo shared a picture of Kim Sae Ron with a man, presumed to be Kim Soo Hyun, from 2015 to prove their minor relationship.
Kim Soo Hyun's legal team has now refuted these claims, arguing that the man in the picture is not Kim Soo Hyun. They added that the My Love from the Star actor never visited Kim Sae Ron's old home in Ilsan.
Garosero alleged that the ski trip photos of Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron were taken between 2015 and 2016, citing the release date of the Descente ski jackets they were wearing as evidence.
However, Kim Soo Hyun's team has disputed this claim, stating that the photo was actually taken on January 22, 2020, when Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron visited the Vivaldi Ski Resort with other employees of their agency. His team also claimed that there are additional photos of the two with other employees from the same trip. At that time, Kim Sae Ron was also listed under Gold Medalist.?
Right after Kim Soo Hyun's press meet, Garosero dropped a video of Kim Soo Hyun, allegedly from 2018, in which he was seen having a meal and soju at Kim Sae Ron's house. His buzz cut further convinced netizens that the video was from 2018 when he was serving in the military.
Kim Soo Hyun's team said that while the video was indeed from June 2018, it was actually shot at Kim Soo Hyun's family apartment in Seoul's Seongsu neighbourhood.
They claimed that Kim Sae Ron visited him there while he was on military leave, and his family was also present. They emphasised that at the time, Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron were not romantically involved.
For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood, keep following our coverage?here.?