Kim Soo Hyun gets emotional in first press conference since Kim Sae Ron dating scandal

South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun held a press conference on Monday to clear the air about his alleged affair with late actor Kim Sae Ron. This was Soo Hyun first public statement ever since controversy around his relationship with Sae Ron broke out with many speculating that the actor was dating the actress when she was a minor.

Soo Hyun gets emotional at the press conference

Soo Hyun broke down at the press conference as he addressed the recent allegations against him. He began the conference by apologizing and said, “Firstly, I am sorry. Because of me, I think so many people are suffering. And also I feel sorry that the late actor (Kim Sae-ron) isn’t able to rest in peace. I consider myself a coward. I have always been too preoccupied with holding on to what I have. I couldn’t even trust the goodwill that came my way, always fearing loss, harm and running away, denying everything. That’s why it took me so long to stand here today.”

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Kim SooHyun admits he dated Kim Sae Ron, but when she was an adult

Kim Soo Hyun said that he wants to end this ‘hell-like situation’ and share his side of the story. The actor admitted to denying his relationship with Sae Ron earlier as he was filming the show Queen of Tears. He said, “I was in the same situation when (Kim Sae Ron) posted a picture of her and me when Queen of Tears was airing. I was together with her for about a year, about 4 years before the drama aired. But at that time, I denied our relationship. I fully understand that criticizing my choice is justified.”

He revealed that he had kept the relationship hidden to protect the cast and crew of the show. He said, “When Queen of Tears was airing, I had so much to protect as its lead actor. What would have happened if I had admitted to a year-long relationship? What would happen to the actors, the staff who were working overnight and the production team who had all everything staked on that project? What would happen to our agency’s employees?” He added, “I’m willing to receive any criticism that say I am selfish and cowardly.”

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‘Kim Sae Ron didn’t die because of me’

The actor denied dating Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor and said, “I couldn’t let it be. I couldn’t accept (them) coercing me to take what’s fake as the truth. I never dated when she was a minor. Except for the fact that both of us were actors, our relationship was just like that of any other ordinary couple. And it is not true that she had made this tragic choice because of me or my agency pressuring her over a debt.” Sae Ron died by suicide in February 2025.

He revealed that he didn’t contact the late actor after they had broken up. He said, “We dated with good feelings, and after some time, we broke up. After that, we weren’t able to contact each other like we used to. Just like any other couple, contacting a lover after breaking up is a very cautious thing.” He added, “I also couldn’t contact her easily when she had the DUI (Driving under the influence of alcohol) incident.”

The actor revealed that Kim Sae Ron was dating someone else when she was involved in the DUI incident.

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“From YouTube, I heard that the former CEO of the agency was having a hard time because of me when the drunk-driving incident happened. But I was aware that the late actor was in a relationship with someone else. So I was very careful about contacting her,” he said.

Soo Hyun addresses Sae Ron’s family’s charges against him

Addressing Kim Sae-ron’s family’s accusations, he said, “But the family of the late actor, just because I am the ex-boyfriend of the late actor, is asserting that I pushed her to death. They are demanding me to confess to something that I didn’t do. [They said] you played with her even from when she was a minor. You threatened her with money. So you are a murderer. I would like you to listen to this audio.”

The actor also denied that his agency, Gold Medalist, pressured Kim Sae Ron for debt repayment, as was claimed by the latter actress’s parents.

He also played a phone call between the CEO of Gold Medalist and a representative of Kim Sae-ron to prove the same. He said, “The voice recording disclosed by the late actor’s family is something that’s newly recorded. And the same goes fot eh KakaoTalk chat that the late family initially revealed.”

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Kim Soo Hyun also denied sending flirtatious messages to Sae Ron in 2016 when the latter was a minor- as her family has claimed. “They are framing me as paedophile, accusing me of grooming based on KakaoTalk chats we had in 2016. The person who is having the conversation with the late actor is different for the KakaoTalk chats made in 2016 and 2018. In order to prove this, I have requested analysis into the KakaoTalk chat revealed by the late actor’s family in 2016, 2018, and this year. The agency showed that the chat made in 2016 and 2018 were made by different people. There is evidence of photos and videos and KakaoTalk chat that’s not original but that have been cleverly manipulated.”

Kim Soo Hyun ended his statement saying, “I have done what I have done. I will take any criticism for that. But the things I haven’t done, I haven’t done. I want to clear my name. I will not ask for trust. I will prove it. Thank you.”

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Kim Soo Hyun suing Sae Ron’s family

At the press conference, Kim Soo Hyun’s lawyer revealed that the actor has filed a complaint against Kim Sae Ron’s family. “We have filed a complaint against the family of the deceased and Hover lab operators while filing a complaint on damages worth 12 billion won to the Supreme Central District Court,” he said.