What is BTS' connection with Garosero Research Institute, the YouTube channel involved in Kim Soo Hyun's controversy?

Kim Soo Hyun's recent controversy has sent shockwaves through the Hallyu industry. The actor has been accused of 'grooming' Kim Sae Ron after a family member of the late actress shared with the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute that the actor had been in a relationship with her for six years, starting when she was only 15. While the controversy has sparked intense backlash from netizens, it has also come to notice the channel has a history of making unfounded allegations against several high-profile artists, including BTS.

YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute once linked BTS to a drug case

Garosero Research Institute has gained a reputation for its controversial 'exclusive coverage' targeting top artists. Prior to the Kim Soo Hyun controversy, the channel accused BTS members of being involved in a drug case.

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In 2023, the YouTube channel released a video alleging that two members of the K-pop group were regular visitors of a hostess bar supposedly linked to drug cases involving BIGBANG¡¯s G-Dragon and Parasite actor Lee Sun Kyun.

In response, BTS's agency, HYBE, firmly denied any connection between the BTS members and the alleged establishment. An excerpt of statement from HYBE read, ¡°BTS is completely unconnected to the relevant rumour, and [the rumor] is not true to the slightest. We will take strong action against the indiscriminate circulation of rumors."

Garosero Research Institute drags BTS into Kim Soo Hyun controversy

On March 10, the Garosero Research Institute once again brought BTS into the ongoing controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun and the late actress Kim Sae Ron. After the channel made shocking allegations against Kim Soo Hyun, his agency, GOLD MEDALIST, threatened legal action. However, the YouTube channel downplayed the threat, suggesting that even BTS had made legal threats in the past, implying that those threats had no real consequence.

As quoted by Kbizoom, Garosero said, ¡°Does Kim Soo Hyun not know who Kim Se-ui is? Legal action? BTS also said they would take legal action in the past. How did that turn out? They all ended up enlisting in the military. And now, just a Hallyu star who¡¯s popular in China, Kim Soo-hyun? Our Garo Sero didn¡¯t get information from just anywhere¡ªwe broadcasted based on materials and interviews directly received from actress Kim Sae-ron¡¯s bereaved family. Go ahead and try legal threats against them, too.¡±

Furthermore, the agency said it will instead file a complaint against My Love from the Star actor. "Tomorrow (March 11), a complaint regarding a minor-related sexual issue will be filed. Dating a middle school second-year student? Surely, they didn¡¯t have a sexual relationship with a minor, right? From what I heard, someone seems to be filing a complaint tomorrow," the channel added.

What did the YouTube channel claim about Kim Soo Hyun?

On Tuesday, the YouTube channel uploaded a video titled ¡°Kim Soo Hyun Led to Kim Sae Ron¡¯s Death,¡± making serious accusations against the actor, particularly regarding his relationship with Kim Sae Ron. The actress was listed under Kim Soo Hyun's agency from 2019 to 2024.

Credit: X

The video claimed that Kim Soo Hyun had been in a romantic relationship with Kim Sae Ron since she was a minor, lasting for six years. It further alleged that his agency, GOLD MEDALIST, mismanaged the aftermath of her DUI accident and later sent a legal notice demanding the return of 700 million KRW (approximately 482,000 USD).

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