Kim Soo Hyun escalates legal battle against late Kim Sae Ron’s family: 'This is a clear and serious case of false accusation'

The well-known South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun has filed a second lawsuit and criminal complaint against the family of late actress Kim Sae Ron and the popular social media personality Kim Se Ui, citing fabricated claims, falsified evidence, and AI-generated audio manipulation.

The legal action follows a press conference held on May 7, where Kim Se Ui played a voice recording allegedly featuring Kim Sae Ron claiming she dated Soo Hyun while still in middle school.

AI deepfake audio and alleged bribery claims

Kim’s legal team at LKB & Partners responded forcefully:“Kim Se Ui and the late Kim Sae Ron’s family went beyond merely spreading false information based on a forged audio file. They even filed a criminal complaint against actor Kim Soo Hyun, accusing him of false charges and violations of the Child Welfare Act. This is a clear and serious case of false accusation.” via KoreabooThe audio clip, which Kim’s team asserts was created using AI deep voice technology, included lines such as: “The first time [we had sex] was around the winter break of my second year in middle school.” Alleged voice of Kim Sae Ron, played by Kim Se UiKim Se Ui further alleged that Soo Hyun offered 4 billion KRW which is 2.91 million dollars USD to suppress the file and later assaulted the whistleblower when the offer was refused.

Kim’s lawyers have denied all claims, calling them “absurd and baseless lies” and emphasizing the criminal severity of submitting forged digital evidence.

Timeline of the controversy

It started in February 2025, Kim Sae Ron dies by suicide, triggering public scrutiny of her past relationship with Kim Soo Hyun. Then in March 2025, the photos leaked and KakaoTalk messages surfaced, allegedly showing a relationship when Sae Ron was underage.

Then in April–May 2025, Kim’s agency confirms a brief relationship but insists it began after Sae Ron turned 18. On May 7, 2025: Kim Se Ui’s press conference introduces AI-generated audio and assault allegations and on June 23, 2025, Kim Soo Hyun files new lawsuits for defamation, coercion, and violation of sexual crimes law.

Career fallout and asset seizures

The scandal has severely impacted Kim Soo Hyun’s career with multiple brand endorsements cancelled, projects shelved or postponed and one luxury apartment provisionally seized due to advertiser lawsuits totaling 3.3 billion KRWDespite selling one of his Galleria Foret apartments for ₩8 billion KRW, Kim’s team insists the sale was pre-planned and not financially motivated by the lawsuits.

Whistleblower’s credibility in question

The whistleblower, known as Mr. A, later admitted to fabricating the audio using AI and sourcing injury photos from the internet. He claimed his wife caused “misunderstandings” and that he sent the fake file to avoid being seen as a “spy.” Forensic experts confirmed the audio was artificially generated.