Kim Soo-hyun rejects underage dating accusation, said he was “pressured” to confess to things he never did

South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun broke the silence regarding his recent controversy today (31 Mar). Earlier this evening, he held a press conference at a hotel in Seoul.

The 37-year-old actor was met with two main allegations. First, it was alleged that he dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor at 15 years old. The second allegation was that Kim Soo-hyun’s agency also pressured her to repay a debt she owed before her death.

Prior to addressing the allegations, Kim said with a tense expression: “First and foremost, I am sorry”.

“I think that I am a coward, and I’ve always only thought of protecting what was dear to me. I was always afraid of losing something or being hurt, and it took me a long time to stand here,” he added.

He started by acknowledging that it would have been better if he had come out earlier to address the allegations. “Every time my [past] relationship with [Kim Sae-ron] was published, I thought of just addressing it directly,” he said with a sniffle.

Addressing his relationship with Kim Sae-ron

“I dated [Kim Sae-ron] for a few years, which I denied previously,” he said.

This came after Kim Sae-ron posted a photo of the two of them on her social media while his K-drama Queen of Tears (2024) was on air. However, he denied the fact in hopes of “protecting those around him”.

“After being an actor, I received a lot of love. I didn’t have much at first, but suddenly, I became someone with too much to protect,” he said.

With so much on the line, he explained that his decision was because he did not want to affect his colleagues and staff members working alongside him on the drama project.

“Every time I faced a conflict between being Kim Soo-hyun (the person) and Kim Soo-hyun (the star), I always end up making choices as Kim Soo-hyun the star”. He added that if he were given the chance to choose again, he would have opted for the same course of action.

“I can’t opt for a different option just because of myself, I can’t do that. That is only what Kim Soo-hyun (the person) can do”. He added that he would accept it, even if others criticise him.

“I did not date her when she was a minor”: Kim Soo-hyun

Kim further clarified that he did not date Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. He also emphasised that her recent death in February was not due to him turning away from her, or his agency pressuring her on debts.

Addressing the allegations against him, he said he was “pressured to confess to things [he] never did”. “They said I manipulated the deceased since she was a minor. And that I pressured her with money, driving her to death”, he said while sobbing.

On the KakaoTalk conversations presented by Kim Sae-ron’s family, which took place in 2016 and 2018, he said that the person in the exchanges with the deceased was not him. He added that this was confirmed through a verification institution, which scientifically analysed the KakaoTalk statements at his request.

“Those are not the truth, and cannot be regarded as the truth,” he added.

Kim Soo-hyun to file defamation lawsuit

Shortly after the press conference, Kim’s attorney, Mr Kim Jong-bok, announced that Kim Soo-hyun, together with his agency Goldmedalist, will be filing a defamation lawsuit against her family, along with a woman who has claimed to be Kim Sae-ron’s aunt and the operator of HoverLab, a far-right YouTube channel.

He is seeking approximately 12 billion won (S$10.9 million) in damages with the Seoul Central District Court.

Additional reporting by Dayna Yam, Krystal Han.