On April 10, 2025, TV Report News disclosed that the family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron has strongly denied allegations put forth by YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. Jin-ho claims to have a video from 2019 that supposedly shows Kim Sae-ron in an intimate moment with a man other than actor Kim Soo-hyun.
The family has dismissed these allegations as unfounded and damaging, pursuing legal action against Lee for propagating what they describe as false information. They assert that such rumors significantly contributed to Kim Sae-ron’s emotional distress before her tragic passing on February 16, 2025.
According to the family, on May 27, 2019, Kim Sae-ron was accompanied only by a female friend and even called her mother to discuss her location. Furthermore, she shared video clips with her mother at 1 AM that night, which feature her and her friend, contrasting sharply with Lee Jin-ho’s assertions.
Lee Jin-ho had made claims suggesting that Kim Sae-ron was seen with a man that day who was not Kim Soo-hyun, alleging that the video showed her engaging in public displays of affection. He stated that his source for the video was a close acquaintance of the actress.
“Since these were taken from a considerable distance, Kim Sae Ron’s face is not clearly visible. However, this video was taken by one of her closest friends, who was surprised to see Kim Sae Ron engaging in public affection and decided to film it,”he said (as translated by Koreaboo).
Continuing his allegations, Lee Jin-ho claimed:
“This footage eventually circulated to some staff members at her agency, and through similar processes, I was able to obtain it. The metadata of the video confirms that it was taken on May 27, 2019. This means that Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron were both dating different people at the same time, as this evidence shows.”
Legal Action Against Lee Jin-ho Over Defamation Claims
The family of Kim Sae-ron has launched a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. They allege that he has spread false details about the actress’s personal life, claiming that such misinformation contributed to her devastating decline leading up to her death.
This lawsuit has emerged against the backdrop of ongoing discussions about Kim Soo-hyun’s past relationship with Kim Sae-ron, which has sparked significant media attention.
On March 16, 2025, lawyer Bu Ji-seok, representing Kim Sae-ron’s family, filed a formal complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The family maintains that Lee Jin-ho’s videos misrepresented the terms of Kim Sae-ron’s relationship with Kim Soo-hyun, severely damaging her image and contributing to her mental struggles.
In response to the lawsuit, Lee Jin-ho stated in his video titled My Statement on the Lawsuit… I Will Reveal the Truth Until the End that while he acknowledges the family’s perspective, he did not claim that Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun’s relationship was fabricated. He further mentioned that he did not engage with the family during their grieving period.
The situation has also involved Kim Soo-hyun, who has faced backlash regarding his prior relationship with the late actress, including serious allegations about dating her when she was just 15 years old. His agency, Gold Medalist, has denied these allegations.
Despite the family’s efforts to provide context through old photographs, video clips, and chats via the Garosero YouTube channel, Kim Soo-hyun clarified that they began dating only when Kim Sae-ron turned 18 in 2019.
As the controversy unfolds, the actress’s family’s release of materials has led to a backlash against Kim Soo-hyun, resulting in the loss of multiple brand endorsement deals including those with PRADA, Eider, Jo Malone London, and more. Other companies, such as Homeplus and Jeju Air, have removed his advertising from their online platforms.
In a counter-move amidst these unfolding events, Kim Soo-hyun has filed his own lawsuit against Kim Sae-ron’s family, seeking approximately 12 billion KRW (nearly $8.4 million) in damages for defamation.