r who allegedly faked evidence that defamed actor Kim Soo-hyun and fuelled a scandal which ended his career.
r had manipulated screenshots of text messages. shared an audio file made with AI to give the impression that the actor had dated actress Kim Sae-ron when she was still a minor.
The allegations surfaced last year, shortly after Kim Sae-ron killed herself at the age of 24.
The scandal shook the country and upended the career of Kim Soo-hyun, who is a household name in South Korea. The actor has consistently denied the allegations.
r, Kim Se-ui, has since posted a video claiming the authorities' allegations were a "subterfuge meant to disrupt his investigation".
r had posted online a voice recording in. the actress could be heard saying she had been dating Kim Soo-hyun since she was in middle school.
r Kim Se-ui, who has nearly a million followers on his channel, had also presented screenshots of text messages purportedly sent between the actor. the actress.
Authorities now say that the voice recording was generated by AI.
r had manipulated screenshots of text messages sent from the actress's phone to make it look like she had been texting Kim Soo-hyun.
r had knowingly spread the false claims for financial gain, authorities say.
His actions "collapsed Kim Soo-hyun's social base. his economic activities across the board, and destroyed the basis for his professional survival," according to a police filing reported by news outlet JoongAng Ilbo.
Police also say Kim Soo-hyun is "still receiving psychiatric treatment".
Celebrities in South Korea are held to high standards and put under extreme scrutiny. Besidesserious allegations of sexual assault. celebrities have been forced to vanish from the public eye for beingexposed as teenage bulliesorwearing fake designer clothes.
Kim Sae-ron herself was a victim of online hate by fans after she was fined for a 2022 drink-driving incident. Prior to that, she had been seen as one of the most promising young actresses in South Korea.
r posted the texts and audio, and the actress' family publicly backed him up.
Kim Soo-hyun's agency initially denied the couple had ever dated.
The actor later admitted he had in fact dated the actress for a year -. only when she was an adult.
At atearful press conference in March 2025, the actor insisted they had never dated while she was underage. "I can't admit to something I didn't do," he said.
r and the actress' family for making false accusations.
Since then Kim Soo-hyun - who once starred in multiple hit TV shows. advertisements - has not made any official public appearances.
The release of Knock-Off, a Disney+ series he had been working on when the scandal broke, has been indefinitely postponed.
Discussion
Sign in to join the thread, react, and share images.