On March 16, 2025, The Fact reported that the family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron has initiated legal proceedings against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho. This decision was confirmed by attorney Bu Ji-seok, who represents the bereaved family, indicating that a formal complaint would be filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency the following day, March 17.
The family’s claims focus on Lee Jin-ho’s intrusive and defamatory coverage of Kim Sae-ron’s personal life, which they argue heightened her mental distress leading up to her tragic death. Kim Sae-ron was found dead in her Seoul apartment on February 16, 2025, at the tender age of 24.
According to reports from Kbizoom, the YouTuber created four videos from 2022 to 2024 that allegedly contained harmful content about the late actress. The first of these videos surfaced shortly after Kim Sae-ron was involved in a DUI incident in May 2022. Following her death, Lee Jin-ho chose to make these videos private, limiting their accessibility to the public.
Lee Jin-ho Defends His Actions: Claims to Have Evidence
In the ongoing dispute, attorney Bu Ji-seok asserted that the family’s concerns are valid, as they believe Lee Jin-ho’s content exacerbated the negative public sentiment surrounding Kim Sae-ron after her DUI case. Furthermore, a March 2024 Instagram post by Kim Sae-ron, which featured an intimate photograph of her with actor Kim Soo-hyun, also stirred controversy. At the time, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, rejected any claims of a romantic relationship between the two.
In response to these developments, Lee Jin-ho produced another video disputing Kim Sae-ron’s claim of dating Kim Soo-hyun since 2015. On March 16, 2025, attorney Bu Ji-seok emphasized the significance of the relationship status issue:
“It is true that Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun were in a relationship. The matter at hand is whether they started dating in 2015, during which Kim Sae-ron was still a minor. Lee has trivialized this as a ‘fabrication,’ which is categorically untrue.”
In a controversial twist, just three days after Kim Sae-ron’s passing, Lee Jin-ho uploaded a new video to YouTube, further igniting public outrage over his previous remarks about the actress. To mitigate the backlash, he addressed his audience, defending his content.
“I have enough evidence to counter these accusations. I only uploaded content after verifying it with her acquaintances and agency representatives. Her agency was actively involved in these discussions, and I incorporated their input into my videos.”
Lee articulated that his video’s intention was to advocate for giving Kim Sae-ron a second chance, acknowledging her need for support amidst her struggles:
“For two years, we shared the sentiment that while Kim Sae-ron had made mistakes, she still needed a means to support herself. She should be given a chance to continue some form of work.”
Controversy Surrounds Kim Soo-hyun: Family Demands Apology
The conflict involving Kim Sae-ron’s family and Lee Jin-ho has escalated into allegations surrounding actor Kim Soo-hyun. On March 13, 2025, The Straits Times reported that Kim Sae-ron’s family, alongside the group Garosero, accused Kim Soo-hyun of having dated Kim Sae-ron when she was merely 15 years old and he was 27.
Garosero presented photographs, allegedly provided by Kim Sae-ron’s family, which included images indicating a close relationship between the two. One photo purportedly depicted Kim Soo-hyun kissing Kim Sae-ron on the cheek, alongside messages where the late actress appealed to him for help regarding a lawsuit from Gold Medalist.
Further complicating matters, Garosero released images that allegedly show an unidentified man within Kim Sae-ron’s apartment, cooking. As the man’s face is obscured, attribution to Kim Soo-hyun remains uncertain.
For context, Gold Medalist had sought a repayment of 700 million KRW (approximately $482,396) from Kim Sae-ron by December 2023, an amount intended to cover damages incurred from the actress’s DUI incident.
Reports from News18 reveal that Kim Sae-ron, in desperate attempts, reached out to Kim Soo-hyun for time to settle her debt, but he reportedly failed to respond to her calls.
In light of these developments, Gold Medalist first denied the allegations on March 10, but subsequently adjusted their statement on March 14, acknowledging a relationship that lasted from mid-2019 to late 2020 when Kim Sae-ron was between 19 and 20 years old, while Kim Soo-hyun was aged 31 to 32.
The agency strongly negated claims of any inappropriate relationship during her minor years, as well as allegations that Kim Soo-hyun coerced her to repay her debt to the agency.
Additionally, as public sentiment shifts, over 50,000 individuals have signed an online petition demanding legislative measures to protect celebrities from privacy violations perpetrated by content creators. In a related fallout, brands like PRADA and Dinto have terminated their sponsorship agreements with Kim Soo-hyun.