Kim Soo Hyun controversy: what police, prosecutors and courts decided

The criminal complaint against Kim Soo Hyun is closed. On 29 July 2026 Seoul Seongdong Police Station decided not to refer him to prosecutors over the Child Welfare Act allegation filed by the family of the late actor Kim Sae-ron, and on 3 September 2026 prosecutors let that decision stand. The YouTuber Kim Se-ui, indicted over how the claims were spread, is on trial and denies the charges.

What happened to Kim Soo Hyun after Kim Sae-ron’s death

Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seoul on 16 February 2025; our report on her death sets out what police said. In March 2025 the YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garosero Research Institute and run by Kim Se-ui, together with her family, alleged that she and Kim Soo Hyun had been in a relationship since 2015, when she was 15.

His agency, Gold Medalist, answered on 14 March 2025. It said the two had dated from the summer of 2019 to the autumn of 2020, after she became an adult, and rejected HoverLab’s account (The Korea Herald). On 31 March 2025 Kim Soo Hyun held a press conference in Seoul, denied dating her while she was a minor and announced a 12 billion won damages suit against her family, a person presenting herself as her aunt and the channel’s operators (South China Morning Post).

In May 2025 the family filed a criminal complaint alleging a violation of the Child Welfare Act, saying the relationship had begun in her second year of middle school (The Korea Herald). On 7 May 2025 Kim Se-ui held a press conference and played an audio file presented as her voice (The Korea Times). Kim Soo Hyun’s side said the recording had been made with artificial intelligence. Private messages and photographs released during the dispute are not reproduced on this page.

What police and prosecutors decided on Kim Se-ui and Kim Soo Hyun

On 21 May 2026 Seoul Gangnam Police Station, applying for an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui, said the audio file had been manipulated with AI and that chat screenshots had been edited, including by changing a conversation partner’s name to Kim Soo Hyun (The Korea Times, Star News). The National Forensic Service had reported in November 2025 that it could not determine whether AI manipulation had taken place. Police also booked the family’s lawyer as a suspected accomplice. These are police allegations; no court has yet ruled on them.

The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant on 26 May 2026, citing a risk of flight and of evidence being destroyed. Kim Se-ui said he did not acknowledge any of the charges (The Korea Times). On 23 June 2026 the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted him in detention on five counts: defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, distributing illegally filmed material, stalking, attempted coercion and intimidation (SBS).

The complaint against Kim Soo Hyun was decided separately. Seongdong police concluded on 29 July 2026 that the evidence was insufficient to support either the Child Welfare Act allegation or a related false-accusation allegation, and did not refer him (Korea JoongAng Daily). Prosecutors returned the file on 3 September 2026 without asking for a supplementary investigation, so the police decision stands (Sports Kyunghyang, The Korea Times). Gold Medalist thanked investigators for, in its words, uncovering the truth.

Was Kim Soo Hyun cleared?

Of the criminal complaint, yes: no charge was brought and the file is closed. That is an investigative decision, not a court verdict, because a case that is never charged never reaches a judge. Whether the recording and messages were fabricated is one of the questions in Kim Se-ui’s trial, which has not reached a verdict, and he denies it.

Kim Soo Hyun lawsuits still running

Questions people ask

What is HoverLab? A South Korean YouTube channel, also called Garosero Research Institute, whose head Kim Se-ui first broadcast the allegations in March 2025. He has been in detention since May 2026.

Did police say the recording was fake? Gangnam police said so in their May 2026 warrant application, after the National Forensic Service had been unable to decide. It is an allegation in a pending trial, not a finding by a court.

Is Kim Soo Hyun working again? Yes, since July 2026, though no new drama has been announced and Knock-Off is still postponed. That side is on our page about his return to work.