The mother of the late actor Kim Sae-ron, who died in February, renewed her claim that her daughter had a romantic relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun while she was still a minor, releasing additional materials to support the allegation.

“Investigative authorities had advised both parties to refrain from media contact, and we complied,” the mother’s legal representative from law firm Buyou said on Wednesday. "However, Kim Soo-hyun’s legal representative has continued to post misleading claims on his YouTube channel, stirring public opinion."

“Kim Soo-hyun’s side has framed all our evidence as fabricated and denied that he ever dated Kim Sae-ron while she was a teenager. Whether the evidence is genuine or not will soon be determined by the authorities.”

The representative disclosed new materials including two audio recordings of acquaintances' testimony, a handwritten note, KakaoTalk messages, photographs and a letter allegedly written by Kim Sae-ron.

The note contained phrases such as: “Is it wrong to say I want to spend every remaining day with you?” “It’s not just because you’re in the military” and “We have many obstacles between us, and first of all, it's visibly me.” Another read: “If you really meant to get back together, I can wait. It’s not even about waiting — I can just keep liking you.”

“These are expressions only a couple would use, and it clearly shows that Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun were in a romantic relationship before the note dated Sept. 28, 2017,” the representative said. Kim Sae-ron, who was born on July 31, 2000, would have been 17 years old.

This is the first public statement from Kim Sae-ron’s mother since March. In May, the family filed a police complaint against Kim Soo-hyun with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, accusing him of violating the Child Welfare Act.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]