Kim Sae Ron's family conducted a fresh press conference addressing the intricate situation involving Kim Soo Hyun. On May 7th, the bereaved kin, accompanied by their legal counsel Bu Ji Seok and HoverLab Inc.'s CEO Kim Se Eui, gathered to share their side of the story.
During the gathering, the attorney revealed that prior to her untimely demise, Kim Sae Ron engaged in a detailed conversation with a whistleblower in New Jersey, spanning approximately one and a half hours. This conversation, which encompassed discussions about Kim Soo Hyun, was comprehensively recorded with her explicit consent.
The lawyer disclosed that the whistleblower, on April 30th (local time), faced a brutal attack in the United States. The assailants, one Korean and one Chinese, allegedly stabbed the whistleblower nine times in the neck. "The family urgently requested the disclosure of a portion of the recording, fearing that the situation might escalate further with delay," the attorney explained, adding that the FBI is actively investigating the case.
The excerpt from the recording, unveiled at the press conference, captured Kim Sae Ron's conversation with the whistleblower at a cozy New Jersey café on January 10th, 2025.
In the audio clip, Kim Sae Ron opened up, "I was in a relationship with Soo Hyun oppa. You might think I'm nuts and dismiss me, but we've been together since middle school. We parted ways after I entered college." She continued, "Soo Hyun oppa and those GOLDMEDALIST individuals are genuinely terrifying; they'd go to any lengths. I feel manipulated since my middle school days. I was his girlfriend, and he knew how devoted I was to him from then on. But post the accident, they portrayed me as eccentric. The craziest part? He sent me a picture of him with another woman. He mentioned the idol smelled like miyeok (seaweed), so he saved her contact as 'miyeok' and forwarded it to me. Had I been in a better position, I'd have exposed everything earlier."
Furthermore, Kim Sae Ron shared, "Our first encounter happened during my second year's winter break in middle school. Looking back, it felt forced upon me. Not many are aware of our middle school romance, but they all had the same reaction, asking why I let him do it."
Regarding these revelations, the legal representative announced that Kim Sae Ron's family had filed a criminal complaint against Kim Soo Hyun, accusing him of violating the Child Welfare Act.
His statement is as follows:
This is Bu Ji Seok, attorney of the law firm BUYOU, representing the family of the late Kim Sae Ron. We previously held a press conference on March 27. The reason for this was to put an end to the controversy by presenting evidence that the late Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun were in a relationship when she was a minor. The bereaved family wanted an apology from Kim Soo Hyun, but what they received instead was a lawsuit and criminal complaint for damages amounting to approximately 12 billion won (approximately $8.6 million), as well as a press conference from Kim Soo Hyun in which he consistently denied ever having dated the late Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor and stated that he would prove the truth through an official investigation. In response, the family has been cooperating fully with the investigation, providing all materials requested by the authorities.
However, contrary to his statement that he would prove the truth through the investigation, Kim Soo Hyun has repeatedly claimed that the evidence was fabricated. YouTubers such as Lee Jin Ho have also made similar claims without clear grounds. At the same time, Kim Soo Hyun has been filing numerous complaints against the bereaved family. Despite this, the family has maintained a principle of non-response, trusting that the truth will be revealed through the investigation.
In this situation, a whistleblower who has been assisting the family was recently approached with an offer to purchase crucial evidence in their possession for several billion won (millions of dollars). When the whistleblower refused, they were subjected to serious threats to their personal safety. Given these urgent circumstances, we ask for your understanding as we hold another press conference.
On the day in question, through our law firm, the bereaved family filed a criminal complaint against Kim Soo Hyun for violation of the Child Welfare Act and for false accusation. Article 17, Clause 2 of the Child Welfare Act punishes those who force a child to engage in obscene acts, mediate such acts, or commit sexual harassment or other forms of sexual abuse against a child. The family has confirmed that Kim Soo Hyun forced the late Kim Sae Ron, when she was a minor in her second year of middle school during winter break, to engage in obscene acts and subjected her to sexual harassment and other forms of sexual abuse, and has therefore filed a complaint for violation of the Child Welfare Act.
Kim Soo Hyun was in a relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor. Nevertheless, Kim Soo Hyun filed a complaint against the family for defamation by spreading false information even though the family is stating the truth. In response, the family has filed a complaint against Kim Soo Hyun for false accusation on the grounds that he is attempting to have the family criminally punished by making false claims.
Along with these complaints, we have requested an investigation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. As mentioned earlier, the whistleblower was attacked with a weapon and was in a life-threatening situation. The investigation revealed that the assailant was a Joseonjok (ethnic Korean from China) who had only recently entered the United States, and the person who brought the assailant to the scene was also a Korean who had recently entered the United States. We have therefore requested an investigation into the exact identity of the Korean individual and the circumstances surrounding the attack.
In addition to threats to the whistleblower’s safety, there have recently been sightings of suspicious vehicles suspected of stalking near the home of the late Kim Sae Ron’s aunt. We earnestly request police protection for the bereaved family and for CEO Kim Se Eui.
