South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun hosted a press conference on March 31, 2025, his first since the death of his former girlfriend, Kim Sae Ron, on February 16. Although he initially refused to admit dating her, her family accused him of having started dating her when she was a minor, producing photographic and other evidence. In a report by Soompi, Soo Hyun confessed to dating Sae Ron but categorically denied her family’s accusations.
Kim Soo Hyun Tears Up
During the press conference, Soo Hyun teared up as he defended himself against the accusations. He described why he first denied being in a relationship with Sae Ron even with evidence of it coming to light.
Declaring that he was a ‘coward’ and ‘always fearful of losing something’, he declared, “When the deceased shared a photo of us together at the time of airing Queen of Tears. Five years ago—and four years before Queen of Tears was broadcast the late and I dated for some time. But then, I dismissed the dating gossip. I believe it’s only normal that you fault me for the decision. I get it if you cannot believe what I am telling you now regarding what occurred between the late and me.”
Soo Hyun confessed that as the lead star of Queen of Tears, he refrained from confirming their previous relationship in order not to jeopardize the success of the show. He clarified that had he confessed back then, it might have influenced his co-actors, staff, and production company negatively. He further disclosed that he would always keep his public self first at the expense of his own self, citing, “Even if I could go back, I would make that choice again.”
Denies Dating Kim Sae Ron as a Minor
Soo Hyun also disclosed that people around him told him to ‘accept things to a certain extent’ in order to not be questioned further. He talked about being threatened for releasing personal photos, being embarrassed by having personal information disclosed, and having pressure placed on him to confess to things that were not true.
Tackling the most severe accusation, he mentioned, “I’ll discuss the segment you most want to hear about. I didn’t date the deceased as a minor. And it also isn’t correct that the deceased took a devastating decision due to my rejection or due to the pressure of my agency regarding her debt. Apart from the fact that we were both actors, we were both ordinary lovers like the rest. We met with nice feelings towards one another, and as time went by, we broke up. We then barely got in touch with each other after that.”
Soo Hyun went on to clarify that after Sae Ron’s 2022 DUI, he had not contacted her because he was cognizant of the fact that she was in a relationship then. In a response to allegations made against his agency, Gold Medalist, of coercing her into repaying her loan, he posted an audio clip as proof. He maintained that her agency had been providing false information and that he would only own up to what he had truly done.
False Information Released by Sae Ron’s Family
Soo Hyun accused Sae Ron’s family of bringing false information and giving a distorted picture of their exchanges. According to him, the KakaoTalk messages they released were incorrect, as they tried to make him ‘a paedophile and a minor groomer’. To counter these accusations, he sent 2016 to 2018 conversations to a verification agency for examination.
Struggling to hold back tears, he said he was afraid of being accused again, “I am afraid of what will be revealed and twisted again today to accuse me of being a murderer. I don’t know what sort of false evidence and false witness will slander me and harass people around me after this press conference is finished.”
Soo Hyun’s lawyer, Kim Jong Bok, stated that Soo Hyun and his company, Gold Medalist, would file criminal and civil charges against all parties involved, including Sae Ron’s family, to “clear the facts” and to act on “defamation according to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
